How I Uncovered the Truth About Elite Education and AI’s New Divide as an Uber Driver- Daily Drive Podcast 1993
I was Ubering in Ithaca, NY, and I got a ride from the private jet terminal. It was a quick trip over to the Cornell Campus. However, what followed was a conversation that shook me a little and changed how I view the future of education, wealth, and technology.
My passenger had just flown in for a board meeting and to recruit students. I figured he must be targeting MBA grads or senior finance majors.
But no. He was there to recruit sophomores. Yes, 19-year-olds with barely a year of college under their belt.
Why? Because, as he explained, getting into Cornell was all the proof he needed. To him, the university had already done the filtering. They didn’t need experience. They required a pedigree.
And what about rich kids who only got in because of family wealth?
“I work with rich people. I want more rich people in my circle,” he told me.
As an Uber driver, I’ve heard a lot of things. But that moment made something click: this was a world protected by invisible gates. And those gates are being reinforced, not weakened, by the rise of artificial intelligence.
Let me explain.
From College Degrees to Uber Driver: A Harsh Reality
In my daily work as an Uber driver, I see both sides of society. The high-powered elite stepping off private jets and regular folks like me trying to make ends meet.
Case in point: I recently gave a ride to a student who had just graduated from Syracuse with a degree in computer science. Four years ago, coding was the golden ticket. “Learn to code” was the advice everyone told us.
Today? AI is replacing coders at an alarming rate.
Companies that once hired five developers now only need one. And that means some students, even at top schools, are leaving with six-figure debt and no job prospects, possibly ending up as Uber drivers, just like me, until autonomous cars replace us, too.
Why Human Connection Still Matters for Uber Drivers (and Everyone Else)
But here’s the twist. I picked up a different financial guy just a few days ago. He wasn’t coming to analyze spreadsheets or write code. AI does that better now. He came to talk. To walk through the company buildings.
To look people in the eye and evaluate their leadership potential.
And that’s the takeaway for every Uber driver, and every person worried about where AI is taking us.
Human connection is irreplaceable.
The ability to build rapport, read emotions, listen deeply, and engage in genuine conversations… that’s something no AI can do. That’s what gives value to the work I do, not just the miles I drive, but the moments I experience and share.
What Uber Drivers Know That Most People Don’t
As a full-time Uber driver, I’ve seen it all:
The exhausted single mom working two jobs
The jet-setting investor flying private
The college grad with no direction
The startup founder pitching from the back seat
Driving for Uber isn’t just a job; it’s a front-row seat to how society is changing. And here’s what I’ve realized:
Elite institutions are still gatekeepers to wealth and power.
AI is leveling some playing fields, but it is also widening others.
The next economy might reward empathy more than efficiency.
So if you’re an Uber driver, you’re not just moving people, you’re moving though the shift.
