Welcome to Axis ProRata, a podcast that takes just 10 minutes to get you smarter on the collision of tech, business, and politics.

I'm Dan Permac. On today's show, Trump's taxes and some terrifying new advances in war technology.

But first, Uber drivers go on strike.

That's the sound of Uber and Lyft drivers in Los Angeles, asking fellow drivers to turn

off their apps, as part of a 24-hour strike designed to raise awareness of what they argue

is inadequate pay and poor working conditions.

It's a national movement, primarily today in 10 large U.S. cities and comes just days before

Uber is expected to go public on the New York Stock Exchange, and what could be one of the largest

IPOs of all time. So two things we know so far. First, this has gotten a lot of the nation's

attention, judging by traditional media and social media mentions. Second, Uber and Lyft users

are still able to get rides pretty easily. Twitter

is full of screenshots from reporters showing all these cars right around them. I even logged

into Uber this morning from my home office and learned I could get an airport ride in just five

minutes, which is better than usual in my small town. The discrepancy here is that organizing

ride hail drivers for a strike is extremely difficult,

much more so than organizing folks at other more traditional companies. For starters, there's

no company directory for organizers to rely on for mass communication or a central office

where drivers meet and can share stories. Plus, the ride hail companies themselves have

always been designed

around what they call dynamic pricing, which means they may have offered added incentives

for drivers to be on the road today, kind of like what they would do on a busy night like New

Year's Eve. Some drivers, even if sympathetic to the strikers' cause, might not feel

...