I always wondered if the Lyft model could be done more fairly, like as a worker owned co-op of drivers who then pay a small group of devs to build and maintain the dispatch app for them, while keeping the majority of their fare.
I think it'd be hard for that to work out. The incentive would be to underpay/underhire technical staff, and you'd probably have a much inferior app/dispatch experience, which customers wouldn't tolerate.
The devs could be part owners too. But I think that's kinda the point, a small business model that attracts regular people who want regular jobs instead of the get rich types that dominate tech proper. Not everything needs to or should be hyper growth.
There was a trend around 3 years ago, where every uber driver that asked about what i do for a living, then asked me how costly would it be for me to build them a smaller version of the platform.
I don’t see that working across cities/countries. Lyft/Uber have a powerful network effect in that with one app you can get a cab in nearly every major city in the world
A co-op of co-ops is a thing that can exist. but yes, has some additional challenges organizing and capitalizing, when our society is set up for private capitalist ownership.
