SoftBank’s losses reveal Masayoshi Son’s broken business model

Re:SoftBank’s losses reveal Masayoshi Son’s broken business ... by mamonster on Monday August 29, 2022 @05:51AM (#32636337)

Well first of all Uber drivers don't have to work 16 hours of day, that's a straight up lie(in Europe). Can you work 16 hours a day? Sure, you can. But you have to be very clear about the sort of person that works 16 hours a day driving Uber: It's a person that literally cannot get hired to 99.9% of other jobs. Uber didn't cause this, but previously these people would be either on unemployment or doing crime.

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Re:SoftBank’s losses reveal Masayoshi Son’s broken business ... by ohgodplsno on Monday August 29, 2022 @07:55AM (#32637113)

You don't seem to understand. There are no "Uber drivers". Except in very select countries (I believe that Uber recently lost a case in Italy ? Can't remember), there are self employed people, whose (only and very demanding) client is Uber. This means that worker protection is out of the window. There are no legal limits to it, if you want to work for three consecutive days, go for it.

And having talked to many Uber/Freenow/etc drivers (because, yes, i also am brought to using it sometimes) in Paris and throughout France, many, many, many of them start their day at 6,7AM and go on until 10PM or later. These guys are not criminals, they were previously contracted taxi drivers, electricians, all kinds of jobs who just fell on a bad thing in life and had to make money another way, now leaving them mostly stuck with this job. The ones making those hours were open about what they make, on average about 2000, 2200€ per month. Which, for 16 hours a day is fucking miserable,and for a city like Paris isn't a whole lot.

But actually, don't take it from me. The median take home in France for an Uber driver is 1617€ per month, with a median work time of 45 hours. Hint: it's barely above minimum wage. And, since Uber doesn't guarantee work and they're paid by the ride, many of them work on the side to guarantee they don't get fucked out of two day's salary when unlucky. https://www.journaldunet.fr/management/guide-du-management/1...

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Re:SoftBank’s losses reveal Masayoshi Son’s broken business ... by mamonster on Monday August 29, 2022 @08:24AM (#32637301)

When people say Uber drivers, they don't mean "oh he is employed by Uber as a driver", they just mean "he drives Uber".

Your 2nd paragraph above confirms my comment. Uber isn't the one who forced those shit working conditions on them, except for those who were employed as taxi drivers previously. They fell on a bad time, and Uber allows them to make money in bad conditions. Would you like them to just wait it out at pole emploi instead?

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Re:SoftBank’s losses reveal Masayoshi Son’s broken business ... by ohgodplsno on Monday August 29, 2022 @08:33AM (#32637376)

You misunderstand the trap that is poverty. Uber isn't "allowing them to make money in bad conditions". Uber has become the condition. There is no getting out of being a Uber driver when your day is spent driving around. No ability to look for other employment related to what you were doing, no ability to get training for another job. Uber thrives on misery.

So, yes, pôle emploi is a better option for many. Note that driving an Uber doesn't even get you qualified for unemployment later on, should you want to stop.

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Re:SoftBank’s losses reveal Masayoshi Son’s broken business ... by hackerlight on Monday August 29, 2022 @12:12PM (#32639931)

Uber isn't the condition because it's still better than having no job, which is the alternative that you seem to falsely believe is preferable for these people.

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