Agreed! That's why government exists, to create a social safety net, and to extract taxes from corporate and personal income revenue to support those services.
1) People want "to create a social safety net, and to extract taxes from corporate and personal income revenue to support those services."
2) People are getting what they want, or at least supporting government in the hope they will achieve the previous point (#1).
I am not sure what level of support either of these two points garners, but I am certain that it is not 100%, and it may be that less than an outright majority of people support both.
A more plausible explanation of why government exists (in my view) is that like any other monopoly, it has used tools including propaganda, suppression of opposing views, and incentivizes for collaboration to build and maintain its strength.
That said, expecting Uber to continue to pay drivers after the advent of safer, cheaper autonomous cars is silly. Bring on the autonomous cars, I say. And, while it's someone's job to ensure an economic system with opportunity for all, it isn't Uber's job any more than it's yours or mine.