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Uber's big promise was to replace workers with automation. This failed, but you could see Waymo or another service replacing all taxi drivers. You could have automated semitrucks that drive freight on freeways and reduce the need for truck drivers.

Heck even most Burger King stores have kiosks that are replacing people.



> Heck even most Burger King stores have kiosks that are replacing people.

These things are a godsend, for multiple reasons:

- no wasting time trying to establish a common language with the cashiers, particularly when you're not in your home country

- no nearly exploding in line behind a ten people group haggling with the cashier over how many cheeseburgers they want

- if you are in a large group, the inverse of the above: no need to fear pissing off everyone behind you

- you actually see your entire order prior to payment and can make sure the cashier didn't fail to register an item


Fast food restaurants are an interesting example. Where I live there have been problems with them sitting down for periods due to lack of staff.

Are the kiosks to replace people or due to the lack of people?


To replace. Labor is the highest cost and is a variable cost. These machines are fixed cost.


That's interesting about the seats. I've only used Burger King at a service center while driving. I wonder if they'll start having nagging robots :-D

IMO the lack of people is due to salary. If they were paying 400 dollars an hour, I'd sign up.


I did some digging and found that we’ve had more people leaving the work force than entering it where I live. This is hitting jobs on the bottom end of pay first.


It failed because they thought that driverless cars were just around the corner.

But when fully driverless cars eventually do hit the road then it will indeed be the end of the taxi driver (and of most drivers for that matter).


When driverless cars hit the road, my family will become a 1 car family (instead of 3). This is going to impact a lot of parking garages and other businesses.


s/when/if/


Waymo is already driving in SF. I'm sure there is going to be weather dependence and other factors but it seems like it's inevitable.




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