Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe I’m interpreting the sarcasm incorrectly, but I think the grandparent means the drivers, not the Uber employees.
The drivers (and customers) are the hostages. Uber should've been spending the last few months preparing for the possibility of this ruling being enforced. (I suspect they have been, and "oh we'll have to shut down!" is a negotiating tactic.)
You see it all over the place, and I for one hope that this trend is reversed in the next decade. It’s not good for society as a whole.