... I ran across a talk from Uber on reliability. It's more of a high level architecture talk about distributed systems and being able to detect and respond to issues. Certainly Uber works at a rate and scale that few of us will reach in our organizations. ...
The folks over at Uber certainly know how to build software. I'll give them that much. Their mobile application is amazing. Unfortunately that's about all they excel at. Their executive management are lousy when it comes to compliance, human resources, and netting a profit. The business as a whole is a money pit that generates billions in loss each year.
The folks who drive for Uber don't make much money in the first place and complain that they are treated like a cog in a machine. In fact, what they do could be automated. My prediction that sometime soon Google, Elon Musk, or one of the other companies developing driver-less car technology will offer to buy out Uber just for their ride share software. Once done, customers could use the Uber mobile app to call up a driver-less car to take them to the airport or wherever at a fraction of the cost.
It's inevitable. It will happen.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho