“This is all about making driving unaffordable for the masses and forcing them to move into socialist hives(cities).”
Not at all. Technology is getting to the place where self-driving cars will be cheaper, faster, and safer than human drivers.
It will likely result in people being more open to longer commutes. People are likely to conduct business while riding and even have meals.
This is a disruptive technology, so it will have its downsides. But cars are better than riding in a horse-drawn buggy. And self-driving cars will be a step up for the most part.
There will probably be a transition where cars can be driven by people or by computers. Over time people will gravitate to the benefits of self-driving. And eventually self-driving will become too risky and cost-prohibitive.
When I was a kid we had a rotary phone. Touch-tone service was introduced as an upgrade. Eventually touch-tone was free, then rotary was an extra charge, and then it went away. Now everyone has a cell phone. Is that better? In some respects, yes. In others, no.
Look at all of the technological change that happened in the last 200 years. More is happening today than ever before. Change is happening at a more rapid pace. Now we have to adapt more quickly.
Cars are already a maintenance nightmare with the technology they have today. Adding more on top of it makes them even more of a nightmare. The 5 year depreciation will be horrible. As long as we retain the option of driving it manually when the shit breaks then I am good. But the a-holes that run the world will probably get rid of that option.
If you’re going to conduct business and eat meals while commuting, you’re likely to start asking yourself why you’re even bothering to commute at all. This is an odd paradox that auto manufacturers will have to deal with over time. As the technology pushes them closer and closer to fully self-driving cars, they’re going to find that more and more people simply don’t have a need to travel by car very much at all.
Really ? I bet you don't write software for a living.