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SoftBank Vision funds post record $39B annual loss

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Re: SoftBank Vision funds post record $39B annual loss

#71
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Safety and reliability are not mutually exclusive with exploitative. It can be both.

Sadly, taxis were never both until Uber. Even in Manhattan, getting a taxi at 2am was a crap shoot. I can an Uber in the suburbs at 2am anywhere in the country. That’s neat.

> Even in Manhattan, getting a taxi at 2am was a crap shoot. I can an Uber in the suburbs at 2am anywhere in the country.

You certainly can call an uber, yes. Whether they come through or whether they find a suitable reason to cancel on you... that's a crapshoot.

Re: SoftBank Vision funds post record $39B annual loss

#72
post #45
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ironically the one good thing the rideshades did was to get taxis to install credit card readers. Taxis are often half the price of an Uber these days.

Which location?

Taxis in NYC are often (always?) way cheaper than Uber now.

Re: SoftBank Vision funds post record $39B annual loss

#73

Their massive early investment in Uber distorted their reality and they expected ride sharing to be incredibly successful in other markets when it's not even successful in the USA - it's a fraud that pays below minimum wage off the backs of people who cannot do math. It has never made money anywhere ... ARM has had a laziness problem ever since the Apple A1 chip - there's a reason why nobody uses their 6-yr old layou…

Not being incredibly successful doesn't make it a fraud. I don't think anybody invested in it because Uber misrepresented the market.

tell that to FTX stockholders and clients.

In loose IRS terms an engineered loss every year starts look like a hobby mis-telling the world that it is a business.

Re: SoftBank Vision funds post record $39B annual loss

#74
post #49
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which location?

Not OP but it is often the case around London, UK. Half price isn't an exaggeration! Better cars usually too.

When I was in London a few weeks ago the taxi prices were 2-3x the uber prices. Also they'd tell you to fuck off if they didn't want to take you to that location.

Re: SoftBank Vision funds post record $39B annual loss

#75
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's basically an inefficient, but effective way to siphon money from the poor and middle class and deposit it into the bank accounts of the wealthy by utilizing the equity the poor and middle class have in their vehicles.

> to siphon money from the poor and middle class and deposit it into the bank accounts of the wealthy by utilizing the equity the poor and middle class have in their vehicles What poor and middle class assets does SoftBank manage? (EDIT: Nvm. I misread “vehicle” as an investment vehicle.)

The poor and middle class don't have investments. Source: all my co-workers and girlfriend's relatives that meet me with blank stares when I ask if they are saving for their retirement or maxing the company match for the 401k.

Not judging that- the reality is somewhere in between they can't afford to do much but stay alive due to inflation and housing costs out of control and that they need to stop getting $7 Dutch Bros. coffee every day, DoorDash every night, and Taylor Swift tickets for $1000.

Re: SoftBank Vision funds post record $39B annual loss

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not being incredibly successful doesn't make it a fraud. I don't think anybody invested in it because Uber misrepresented the market.

tell that to FTX stockholders and clients. In loose IRS terms an engineered loss every year starts look like a hobby mis-telling the world that it is a business.

How many years did Amazon show losses and were allowed to continue without being called a hobby mis-telling the world?

Re: SoftBank Vision funds post record $39B annual loss

#77
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we translate that from financial to real-world terms, it means that people aren't getting paid enough to cover wear and tear on their cars. I think that depends on how much you paid for the car and how long it will last (depends on quality, how good the maintenance is, and luck). Also, cash pays the rent and lower depreciation doesn't (unless you sell the car), so some people may prefer this to borrowing money.

Yet they are evidenced by people driving for Uber. I’ve driven a Prius for Uber and think so fared quite well using the irs mileage deduction rate to offset almost all my revenue and paid nearly no tax, legally and covered actual depreciation. It’s funny to think 10 years of drivers are somehow idiots.

Wait until you find out how much cars are now when you have to replace your car 10 years earlier.

Re: SoftBank Vision funds post record $39B annual loss

#78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not being incredibly successful doesn't make it a fraud. I don't think anybody invested in it because Uber misrepresented the market.

Design and implement over engineered solutions to avoid paying minimum wage across dozens of countries seems at least a little sketchy.

One thing uber did well is it helped break a market distortion in markets where you had to buy a badge, but they were supply limited and could sometimes fetch $1M which IMO makes no sense, if someone can do the job they should be allowed to.

I'm not saying everything Uber did was great or right, but breaking that insanity is IMO a step of progress. Next we need to ensure gig workers make at least minimum wage after legitimate expenses.

Re: SoftBank Vision funds post record $39B annual loss

#79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go look it up, it's been done before. Uber basically required you buy a new car in certain circumstances, and don't pay enough to keep up with gas, repairs, and value loss of running a car around.

Uber allows 16 year old cars in my city. If you're driving a paid-off 5+ year old Honda or Toyota, I think Uber's paying enough for you to turn a decent profit from driving for them. https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/boston/vehicle-requirements... It probably isn't paying enough for you to buy a brand new car with a loan and drive that around for them. But they're not making you do that, either...

They are when you have no working car

Re: SoftBank Vision funds post record $39B annual loss

#80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

tell that to FTX stockholders and clients. In loose IRS terms an engineered loss every year starts look like a hobby mis-telling the world that it is a business.

How many years did Amazon show losses and were allowed to continue without being called a hobby mis-telling the world?

Amazon was doing stuff though? Like getting books delivered to people’s homes.
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