On one hand I don’t like that Uber subverts labour laws by employing drivers as contractors, essentially giving them no protection from being unfairly dismissed or having their wages dropped – but on the other hand, I really, really love getting between places for super cheap by just tapping my phone a few times.
I’ll be even more keen on them if they go through with ambitious / potentially batshit plans to incorporate short-haul aircraft into the list of services provided.
Jeff Holden, Uber’s head of products, told conference-goers on the weekend that they are investigating how they can use VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft. If you’re not a huge nerd and unfamiliar with what VTOL planes are: they’re those dope ones with the swivel-y jets that can take off and land straight up and down.
Their plan is to try and lessen problems with ground traffic but it will probably come with a whole host of other problems like: who the fuck has a landing pad on their roof, and how the fuck are you suddenly going to find like a million pilots? Will they have to provide their own VTOL jet?
I for one hope they iron out the kinks and that we will all be living in an amazing ‘Blade Runner‘ future within a few years.
Source: TechCrunch.
