> It absolutely takes tremendous capital expenditure to build the network.
It's like breaking trail: It's a whole lot of work for the person in front, but it's damn easy for everyone else.
Uber, being first mover, had to spend great heaping piles of money convincing people to become rideshare drivers in the first place. Because they had to sell people on the idea of driving folks for a living, and then get them to buy new cars that meet their standards, and then train them on how to be a rideshare driver, and all that fun stuff.
Everyone else just needs to convince a group of people who have already bought the car and learned how to drive it that it's in their interest to hedge their bets. Which, given how Uber has historically treated its drivers, is something that requires approximately zero convincing.
It's like breaking trail: It's a whole lot of work for the person in front, but it's damn easy for everyone else.
Uber, being first mover, had to spend great heaping piles of money convincing people to become rideshare drivers in the first place. Because they had to sell people on the idea of driving folks for a living, and then get them to buy new cars that meet their standards, and then train them on how to be a rideshare driver, and all that fun stuff.
Everyone else just needs to convince a group of people who have already bought the car and learned how to drive it that it's in their interest to hedge their bets. Which, given how Uber has historically treated its drivers, is something that requires approximately zero convincing.