autonomous driving could potentially cut one of the main expenses (like the driver's fee), which could cut down prices even more, and probably get them enough of a margin to make them profitable.
that's probably why it makes sense to dominate the market while they still can.
Would it be fair to call it a Hail Mary if a technology that isn't ready for the mass market is a potential savior for a company losing $2 billion per year?
To be a Hail Mary it'd need to be a last minute risky play wouldn't it? I was under the impression that Uber has been playing the "lose money on human drivers until we have robot drivers and market share" game since, if not day one, a long time ago.
that's probably why it makes sense to dominate the market while they still can.