Just don't tip. It's a bug if they can rate your tip.

Meanwhile I like not being a dick to drivers. What's the big deal?

You just explained one of the big deals.

More generally, the way tipping works, there is no clear, consistent, compatible expectation, so I'm forced into a position of either a) overpaying, b) committing a silent faux pas, or c) having negative feedback misinterpreted as stinginess or ignorance.

Would you not consider that a big deal? Are you really surprised about the existence of people who don't like the tipping system, or who don't consider "just stiff them" a valid workaround?

The alternative is not supporting a company who doesn't provide a living wage for their workers after they go into debt. They talk about making drivers entrepreneurs? That's just code for "we convinced some suckers to invest in a falling wage". Who do you know who invested in a black car and paid it off driving uber? There are similar stories with medallions, but that's a separate issue with separate solutions.

Lyft may have similar issues, but in cities without real taxi companies (e.g. Sf) there's no real alternative to being a part of this terrible "entrepeneurship". Tipping will put uber back on my phone.

Even if they didn't do that, there's nothing stopping a competitor from having the same policy.

Nothing except the fact that there seems to be an extreme taboo that makes everyone steadfastly refuse to do it with the same fervor.

If it were really the only thing giving Uber a monopoly on the market I guarantee somebody else would lose their scruples.

Tipping isn't about scruples. Businesses with scruples would pay their employees a fair wage and price accordingly. And then immediately go out of business as everyone flocks to the competitor that's magically 20% cheaper (before the essentially mandatory 20% tip).

Tipping is entirely about being able to advertise a lower price than the actual customer cost. Unfortunately that is extremely effective, so if one company in a market accepts tips all the others basically have to.

It's not like Uber was paying a generous wage in the first place.