Of course it's their problem. They're the ones being fired. Let's assume that all customer ratings are merited and that Uber puts in place all of the wonderful suggestions made by other commenters here, that ensure people only give a bad review if it's very well deserved. Now, suppose you're an Uber driver, and you wife has just left you or you've found out that your daughter is sick. I think you'll be having a very bad week at work. You might even be -- god forbid -- rude to a customer. Or, let's not go that far; say your boss has mistreated you or you think your pay is unfair and you're just having a bad day. So you think these cases should mean automatic termination, too. That the driver who lost his wife should lose his job too because he wasn't able to fully maintain his composure and provide the service Uber customers expect. These are not just people -- they are your employees! (de facto if not de jure).

This brings us to the very important question of what a business is for. There are several views on the subject, but I like this one: a company is a social organization constructed for the purpose of providing income to its members, namely its owners and employees. Now, I'm not saying everyone should get the same -- some have assumed a greater risk than others, and the laws of supply and demand are at play when it comes to skills, too -- but the pay should be fair because that is the company's raison d'etre. "The customer comes first" only inasmuch it helps achieving this goal; if you don't treat your customers right, you will lose their business to competitors and will be unable to provide for your employees. But really, it's the employees who come first.

The place of work is a very important social organization, because you spend most of your day as its member. This organization not only provides you with livelihood, but with a sense of respect; for many, what they do and where they work is an important part of who they are.

And that is why when I hear of a business mistreating its customers, I think "that's a really bad business", but when I hear of a business mistreating its employees -- I get angry; that's breaking a social contract, and one with people who are weaker than you and that you have responsibility for. That's why you may dislike that couple down the block who are rude to everyone, but if you heard that your next door neighbors, who are always nice and offer to water your plants when you're gone, are pimping their daughters, you'll get really mad.

Automatically firing your employees based on a few bad reviews (if that's what Uber is in fact doing, according to the information presented), is akin (continuing the family analogy that I'm growing tired of) to kicking your child out of the house for getting bad grades at school. Sure, the kid has a responsibility to learn, but you have a stronger responsibility towards your kid.

It appears that Uber thinks that by not calling their employees "employees" they are somehow absolved from this social contract. They're not. Now, I'm not saying that Uber are definitely in the wrong here because we have not yet heard their side. Maybe those drivers are lazy money-grubbers seeking to exploit their good-hearted, yet gullible, employers. But the allegations sound very serious.