An Uber driver shares his story, DoorDash pushes tips, and Amazon destroys evidence. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
One driver shares how he made $80,000 last year. Business Insider reported:
Last year, Rich said he made over $80,000 driving for Uber, according to a tax document viewed by Insider. But he said it took a lot of hours to earn this income.
Rich considers himself retired, but he said whenever he's not traveling, he usually drives between about 40 and 55 hours a week for Uber. He's completed over 17,000 trips since he began driving, and over just the past year, he said he's put about 77,000 miles on his vehicle — which he uses strictly for Uber.
Including tips, Rich estimated that he makes about $22 an hour before gas, maintenance, and other vehicle expenses are accounted for. He said making money from driving is more difficult than ever.
“There were a number of times when I'd make over $2,000 a week — as high as $2,700 one week — however, those days are long gone,” Rich said. “I can't remember the last time I made $2,000 in a week.”
What happened when Uber came to down? One article breaks down the arrival of Uber in D.C. in 2011. Dissent Magazine explains:
Public debate arose immediately. While few denied that Uber's operations in D.C. violated the law, the question remained: What should D.C. policymakers do about it? Three answers emerged: (1) change Uber to accommodate the law; (2) change the law to accommodate Uber; and (3) whatever is done, make sure the city does not appear to be anti-innovation.
That same day, a venture capitalist and early Uber investor tweeted something similar: “What happened today with @Uber & DC is dawn of a new local politics: Tech/social exercising newfound muscles on a policy level in real-time.” Bloomberg News editor and author Brad Stone agreed: “Uber had flexed its political muscles for the first time, and won. A new tactic was then added to the playbook: when traditional advocacy failed, Uber could mobilize its user base and direct their passion toward elected officials.”
DoorDash warns users who don't tip. People.com reported:
The food delivery service has been testing the efficacy of issuing a warning message for customers trying to leave a $0 tip for drivers, DoorDash confirmed to PEOPLE.
Orders with no tip could potentially sit for longer at the restaurant, so now a pop-up will appear on the food delivery app if a user puts $0 in the tip amount. But this new in-app message might not be on DoorDash apps forever.
“This reminder screen is something that we're currently testing to help create the best possible experience for all members of our community,” Rosenberg says in a statement. “As with anything we pilot, we look forward to closely analyzing the results and feedback.”
Instacart's carts get smart. PYMNTS adds:
Caper Carts use computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically identify products as they're put into the cart. Customers can bag items as they shop and pay from anyplace in the store, the release said, while also using loyalty accounts to get savings and promotions.
“At launch, they'll reduce lines and congestion while freeing up store associates to focus more on customer support. The carts' screens help customers easily find items on their list, stay on budget, and access tailored recommendations and deals as they browse the aisles.”
Amazon exec's are accused of destroying evidence. Seattle Times reported:
Amazon executives allegedly destroyed two years of communications that the Federal Trade Commission requested as part of its antitrust investigation into the company, according to legal documents made public Thursday.
Amazon executives knowingly deployed practices that would avoid a “perfectly competitive market” or changed tactics when it realized Amazon could lose its competitive advantage, the FTC alleged in newly unsealed sections of its lawsuit against Amazon. Amazon also switched course on a controversial algorithm that the FTC alleges raises prices for consumers during periods of “heightened outside scrutiny.”
From 2015 to 2019, Amazon ran a secret algorithm, internally called Project Nessie, to induce other online stores to lower their prices because they felt compelled to keep track with Amazon's prices, the FTC alleged.
“Aware of the public fallout it risks,” Amazon will turn the algorithm off during times of intense scrutiny — and flip it back on “when it thinks that no one is watching,” the FTC alleged.
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