“Look, we can’t have everything we want. If god forbid I lost my legs, I cannot insist on competing in a women’s marathon with my bionic legs...”

You’re being disingenuous. Typically, the client doesn’t propose the specific finish material. They say, “I want vinyl,” and the contractor provides samples from his suppliers. That’s no different than an Uber driver using Google’s software to plan his/her route and the client accepting. And stop ignoring all the…

They offer a price so they can make a living, not so they “get the business”. If every business operated a loss there wouldn’t be an economy or any sense of “capitalism” as we know.

not do the accounting, the invoicing, collections, the marketing, the prospecting, the whatevers

They’re subsidizing rides, that’s how. Riders don’t realize (or care) that - while traditional taxi cabs are definitely charging a lot for fares - what they should be paying is still far less than what Uber and Lyft end up charging them.

Then the only answer is to call their drivers employees, which is what I think just about everyone is saying.

True independent contractors are essentially operating as small businesses and have the ability to compete for business and set and/or negotiate their prices. Uber & Lyft drivers depend on the apps to provide them with customers and are paid at whatever price the apps set. It’s totally different.

Oh, I didn’t realize you set the prices the guy building your deck could charge, and also set him up with other people who needed decks and took a cut of the money he made. 

It’s almost like someone already figured out all the business logistics for this kind of business, how to pay employees and how to structure fares in order to make a profit. But shit, they weren’t tech bros, they were just a bunch of blue collar nobodies so that doesn’t count.

Wanna bet Uber could have made a fortune…

When I am hiring independent contractors, one thing stands out: Independent contractors can set their own price, and they aren’t required to bid on every job we open.