Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

It's a horrible business - why would I even want to enter it? And if I was insane and did, why would anyone use my Uber app?

Uber is a monopoly that already has all the drivers and spent $10B+ to aquire them - plus all the riders - they're already trained to open that app - already have it downloaded. No one can compete with that without spending $1B+ - at which point - you'd need a 50% margin for years just to return the value. Maybe I'm uncreative, but I cannot think of a worse business to enter.

It's equally amusing to me that you seem to assume Uber is efficient just because it's a public company.

Sure, GE and IBM don't waste money either.




It is a terrible business at large scale.

A smaller and leaner model could work at small scale by focusing on via drivers focusing on their returns with word of mouth marketing.

If you use Uber a bunch, then it is a great way for good drivers to get repeat business privately. A simple platform which is driver-friendly which focused on the whale customers (like myself when I was spending $500/mo+ for commuting) could squeeze the Uber even more. When I started working with a few drivers via text, I was able to save money whilst the driver made more money


How is Uber a monopoly? I used Lyft yesterday because Uber was too far away




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: