Great photo where nobody wears their mask properly
The Drivers Cooperative
151–160 of 333 posts
Re: The Drivers Cooperative
#152Here’s a recent interview with them https://youtu.be/VykTBPKwYnA I’ve been considering starting a software coop to build open source versions of these middleman gig work services for a while. Would anyone on here be interested in joining one? With so many well paid engineers I’m also surprised that there’s not more coop based tech startups in the states.
> I’ve been considering starting a software coop to build open source versions of these middleman gig work services for a while. Would anyone on here be interested in joining one?
i’ve been idly considering the same thing for a while now. i’d be down to chat about it, [my username]@gmail.com
Re: The Drivers Cooperative
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
App provides value, global brand has some value. There is absolutely no reason for ride hailing app to get 10-20% markup per ride. I suspect that after the competition really kicks in, Uber/Lyft must settle for 1-3% per ride or less.
This. I never got how Uber was still unprofitable for so long. Sure you have a bunch of Silicon Valley salaries to pay but realistically speaking, one could build an Uber/Lyft for under $1M and basically can operate with two or so devs fixing issues. Yet, they are blowing hundreds of millions of dollars yearly all over the place while shorting drivers who can’t make a living wage and are basically trading vehicle exp…
> one could build an Uber/Lyft for under $1M and basically can operate with two or so devs fixing issues
This is fundamentally untrue, although you hear it a lot here. I have to wonder whether the people who think this have actually worked on a system at the scale Uber operates at.
Uber is an incredibly complicated system. The trick is it's presented to the user as a very simplistic one, so people overlook what's actually going on behind the scenes.
Sure, like many well-funded tech companies with a large engineering staff there's a fair amount of fat you could probably cut away (and indeed, Uber have - they've done engineering layoffs in the past). But just to sustain the app in all the territories they currently operate in you're talking hundreds of engineers, not "two or so devs fixing issues". That's how large the problem surface area is.
Re: The Drivers Cooperative
#154It’s a nice idea, can’t imagine they can match the UX polish lyft and Uber deliver, which is what users expect now. What other examples are there of do-it-for-the-cause tech plays working out?
Interestingly i imagine a not insignificant amount of effort from Uber etc goes into combating drivers “bad” behaviors, the co-op model might align incentives to reduce this cost.
Re: The Drivers Cooperative
#155It’s encouraging that initiatives like this seem to be popping up more often - co-operatives of workers looking to cut out corporate middlemen. It will be an uphill climb, but I hope this is the future. The technical moats of a lot of recently minted tech companies don’t seem to be so great that they can’t be overcome with time and open source work. The inertia and efficiency that comes with scale will be harder to c…
> It’s encouraging that initiatives like this seem to be popping up more often
Any evidence for that? Seems to me this has been 'pet idea' of the labor movement for 200+ years.
Maybe that are more that are visible to the avg person because of the web and social media, but if there are actually more seems highly questionable.
Re: The Drivers Cooperative
#156Good luck to them!
How does it work in terms of ownership? Can anyone buy a stake? Do you need to drive to earn shares? Can someone drive for a bit, then generate passive income from the shares? Will drivers get bought out by financial interests over time?
Re: The Drivers Cooperative
#157Is it just me or does this sound like purely a marketing strategy hiding the actions of a few opportunists who will receive outsized rewards? At least Uber and Lyft are honest about being greedy capitalists.
Re: The Drivers Cooperative
#158A lot of the comments here seem to think this has to become the next Uber, but it really doesn't. It just needs to sustain the cooperative workers and provide a service at whatever scale makes sense for them and our community (speaking as a NYC resident) and that will be success. Heck, it doesn't even need to be the only cooperative like this! They could federate this and it still is more ethical and equitable then the current system. Bravo. Let's do food delivery next!
Re: The Drivers Cooperative
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
I subscribe to an email newsletter called BIG by Matt Stoller. It's all about US monopolies and he's very interested in exactly what you describe. His response is that both ride-hailing and delivery apps are taking a gamble on establishing a monopoly in several years time, at which point the profits will pay off the current losses.
This is evident. We're at such a crazy level of capitalism/neoliberalism that it's a regular occurrence to see large businesses operating at a loss for 5 or 10 years.
Being able to run at a major loss for 5-10 years is great for 'hard tech'. For a simple phone app though its a different story.
Re: The Drivers Cooperative
#160Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do others have better experiences with co-ops than I do? I know people love REI, but whenever I go in there to buy anything that requires someone (ski boots, skis, work on skis) - it sucks. There's never anyone available, it often takes up to an hour or more to get helped or waiting in line. Sometimes I have to leave and come back later. Last time I gave up and ordered everything online. It's not like it's crazy pack…
I've not had any trouble finding help at REI, but it sounds like perhaps you go more often than I do. The point of the co-op is that it is much better for the worker. There's no inherent reason why a co-op would need to have any different level of customer service than a corporation. My personal worst customer service experience is at Home Depot for example. I had to wait 45 minutes to get a 4 foot length of hose cut…
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