Case Analysis Questions 1. DISCUSSION Although many argue that the gig economy has opened opportunities for individuals to be self-employed in ways that complement their lifestyle, the investments that gig giant Uber is making suggest a different kind of future for the uber successful taxi substitute. What do think Uber has in mind? 2. DISCUSSION What are some of the potential applications for fleets of self-driving vehicles? How might Uber leverage these kinds of assets to generate a profit? 3. PROBLEM SOLVING You've been hired on by Uber's CEO Travis Kalanick as the Chief Financial Officer and asked to address the issue of huge quarterly losses, despite massive sales revenues. The Uber fleet is not likely to be "self-driving" for at least another 5 years, and it isn't clear whether the current model will be sustainable until then, particularly given increasing competitive pressures to raise drivers' rates from companies such as Lyft. What steps could you take to address these competing pressures-market pressures to raise rates and the need to generate profits? 4. FURTHER RESEARCH Look into some of the more well-known gig companies currently making headlines in the financial press. Are any of these companies generating a profit? What factors are at work here? How have these profitable companies organized to become profitable? Are any of these companies moving toward models that remove the "human factor"-that mechanize in the way that it looks like Uber could be seeking to mechanize