MIT’s ‘major’ goof in Uber, Lyft pay

Even brainiacs need help with their homework.

Red-faced researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology admitted late Monday that they goofed in a report last week when they said the average Uber and Lyft driver earned as little as $3.37 an hour.

“In retrospect the survey questions could and should have been worded more clearly,” Stephen Zoepf, lead author of the study, said in a Twitter post.

By using a different methodology, Zoepf found that median profits for drivers were $8.55 an hour — or 2¹/2 times greater than the $3.37 an hour Zoepf and his team of eggheads initially reported.

Zoepf ’s first finding — that nearly 75 percent of drivers for the ride-sharing apps earn less than their state’s minimum wage and that 30 percent of drivers lose money driving for the apps — drew a storm of criticism from Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi.

The CEO’s criticism prompted Zoepf to take another look at his research.

Upon second thought, the MIT folks declared that 54 percent of drivers were below the minimum wage and 8 percent lost money.

Lyft welcomed the new study but didn’t seem convinced of its new findings.

“When an academic study changes so dramatically in just a matter of days, that’s a real flag,” Lyft said.

Uber, in a statement Monday evening, thanked Zoepf for “acknowledging a major shortcoming” in the first study.