![]() But with Uber, we are coming to a strange inflection point. You can join meetings from home, or from Hawaii. For years, workers have enjoyed the way technology creates distance from the boss. ![]() The experience of this Uber driver may be a window into the future of work. I mean, I got booted off my income provider, for no reason." If that doesn't sound like a big deal, he puts it in perspective: "What if you got booted off your cellphone provider? That change everything. At first, the notifications told him it would take 15 days to review his case then, 30 days. So Huestis found himself trapped in a maze of online forms and generic emails. Huestis did manage to contact state officials, he says, but they didn't have a way to call Uber either. Uber doesn't offer that kind of customer support. But it didn't even have a number for him to call. Uber is among the largest private companies on earth and is currently valued at about $70 billion. Huestis felt like he was invested in Uber - he even runs a Facebook page for local Uber drivers to bond - but the company isn't invested in him. This facelessness is decidedly unlike other workplaces. Even in dire situations - like when you've been axed - it's impossible to reach a human in charge. They say the San Francisco-based startup sets strict rules and punishments, just as other bosses do, but it's eerily distant. ![]() And to recruit drivers, company leaders are fond of saying you can "Be Your Own Boss." But through dozens of interviews and an informal survey, NPR found that hundreds of drivers feel the company is not living up to that promise. Uber has created one of the fastest-growing workforces in American history. He'd been "deactivated," as Uber calls it. After the car wash, he slid into the front seat and tried to open his Uber app. He bought the used car specifically to drive for Uber. He took his Chrysler 300 to a Burlington, Vt., car wash. At first, there was nothing unusual about that day in April. That's how it works at Uber.Įric Huestis didn't realize that, until it happened to him. Now, imagine that instead of your boss telling you face to face, you get the news from a pop-up alert on your smartphone. If you've heard those words, you know they feel like a punch in the gut. You probably never want to hear you've been fired. Eric Huestis was blocked from driving for Uber in Burlington, Vt., after he received a governor's pardon for past marijuana possession convictions.
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