Kevin Cashman — Think Uber’s Problems Stop at Its Management and Culture? Think Again.

So, while some have suggested that the solution is simply to stop using Uber (and, ostensibly, to use competitors like Lyft or Gett), this is no solution at all. The solution is making sure that these companies are subject to the same regulations as traditional taxis, as well as that they comply with labor and other laws, which was unsurprisingly absent from the Holder report. This is the innovative idea that is also a solution to many of Silicon Valley’s problems, regardless of the industry.

Uber might not be able to survive if it started caring about the safety of its passengers, the exploitation of its drivers, or the social costs it shifts onto the rest of us, but maybe it shouldn’t. As politicians plot with Silicon Valley to take over public infrastructure and to revamp the fundamental nature of work, maybe Silicon Valley shouldn’t either.

Free rider problem (pun intended).

The Minskys
Think Uber’s Problems Stop at Its Management and Culture? Think Again.
Kevin Cashman, researcher, Center for Economic and Policy Research, Washington, DC