But isn't that covered in the "willing to pay more for the service" bucket? I find tipping awkward to the point of being willing to pay more for alternatives that bundle an otherwise expected tip into the service's initial pricing.

As a driver, sometimes you need to go the extra mile (no pun intended). There are times I need to help passengers carry things, go through drive throughs, catch trains using offensive driving, stopping for drunk people to puke and even serving as a makeshift therapist. The option is there, obviously I don't expect a tip for a 5 minute ride.

This is exactly why I enjoy Lyft's option for tipping. Tipping is awkward if I have to fumble for cash and stuff it in the driver's hands. It's not awkward if I can just press a button and charge it to my credit card.

Sorry to single you out specifically, but I've seen people put themselves in dire situations for the sake of "doing a startup," and it always makes me cringe.

If you're struggling to make rent, maybe you should consider doing something like Upwork or Gigster then? Or even a full time job?

Either your startup is succeeding: you've raised enough venture capital to support yourself, or you're making enough revenue to be ramen profitable (I didn't quite interpret your post that way, though).

Or you are wasting time and energy on something that just isn't going anywhere where you should be making it a fun side project alongside a full time job instead of a VERY risky 10:1 all-in bet.

Most people besides the local SF Peter Pan Syndrome millennial dreamer crowd here would consider it to be very irresponsible to gamble away your time and savings on a stagnant business like that.

There's also plenty of great places to start a business that aren't the Bay Area and actually have reasonable costs of living, friendlier regulations, and less taxes (shout out to Pittsburgh!). I'd stay off the hive mind hamster wheel here that you HAVE to be in the most expensive place to live on the planet, or else you're living in Siberia (to borrow the literal smug wording of a Google employee friend justifying their renting at age 35 situation).

I was going to type 10% of this, but you nailed it perfectly. "I'm doing a startup" is often a trap that allows you to justify not properly supporting yourself.

Get a job, do it well, and make your startup work in the extra hours. If you can't find the time, you're not meant to be starting anything up.

By getting a job, it will interfere with what I need to do. I make my own hours, which is very important. I do 40 hrs driving and 40 hrs on my company every week. Right now I am at the tail end of the stretch and I am already starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (funding).

"Honey Badger does not give a sh*t, if it's hungry, it's hungry"

But that's the thing, though: unlike many Uber/Lyft drivers, you have chosen to put yourself into this situation. The onus is on you to figure out how to support yourself while you have no income working on your startup, not on the random people who ride in your car while you're driving for Lyft.

True, I chose to put myself in this situation. My point is that tipping should be an option, but not mandatory. What the Uber drivers are doing in the article is highly unethical. The irony of it is I am building a financial planning platform for low-mid income individuals and families. I have spent years in the financial industry making good money, now I am turning into my own guinea pig. The last few months have been a healthy wake up call for me on how most people live in this country. Wall Street and Silicon Valley are sooooooo out of touch with reality. That one or two dollars means almost nothing to you, but for most people it adds up and makes a difference.

Well, I wouldn't consider yourself funded until the term sheet is signed and the money has been wired.

You'll get a lot of "warm" courtship interest from investors who actually are just scoping out the field, so to speak, and you'll run into ones who have cold feet and back out at the last minute (I even had an outstanding term sheet get withdrawn once).

Just be careful. Investors are often very two-faced.

Agreed 100%, it can be annoying sometimes, but it is part of the game.

Thank you for the advice! I did come here with savings and got nailed with unexpected expenses. What I am working on WILL happen, it is just a matter of time. My entire life, when I have been told that I cannot do something, I have proved them wrong. The reason I pay the high rent is because this is where the resources are, this where the capital is and I like it here. I am still building my prototype and want to make sure that is done before asking for money. Also, driving has been excellent networking.