Critical to the story, he wasn’t an employee. He’s a rideshare driver, and therefore an independent contractor. That gave him the flexibility to just stop accepting rides for years, but it also meant he had no legal job protection or internal avenue of recourse when his account got banned, likely for suspicion it had been stolen to be used for someone who otherwise would not be accepted as a driver.

It also makes the story less bizarre. The company had his old photo and his new one and thought they don’t look similar enough.

My employer would probably still recognize me from my other characteristics besides how I look, because they interact with me daily.