That was my thought as well... and it is a twofer. Get's both Uber and Apple in one shot. There is so many errors in what is written about Apple that it makes me suspicious. Exactly how did the author know what went on in that private closed door meeting between the two CEOs of Uber and Apple, down to ascribing an exact quote to Tim Cook? It smacks of fiction.
There is a big battle going on in New York between the traditional Taxi system and Uber and Lyft. . . and the New York Times is backing the Taxi companies who advertise with them. A taxi medallion can be sold in NY for north of $1.5 million, irrespective of the license to run a taxi. It's big business.