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What OP, and everyone in this thread don't seem to understand is that Uber has waaaay more up it's sleeve than a mere taxi app. Uber has more data about traffi

What OP, and everyone in this thread don't seem to understand is that Uber has waaaay more up it's sleeve than a mere taxi app. Uber has more data about traffic patterns in every major city they operate in, than any other entity, including the cities themselves. Uber can use that data as leverage in so many ways. They have an API, they are a logistics platform in a sense. Uber's endgame will be allowing people to plug into that platform for a price. If they can manage to become the defacto cab platform for all major US cities alone, they are close to being worth their current valuation as is. Expand this all over the globe. Do not forget they have a 20% stake in Didi as well now, which will more than make up for their 2 billion loss while trying to capture the chinese market.

gph 10y ago
Good point, but to play devil's advocate the same general things were said about Twitter and other tech startups. Their main product doesn't have long term profitability, but just think of all that data they have! Surely they must be able to get tons of value out of that right? Easier said than done.
jerf 10y ago
"Uber has more data about traffic patterns in every major city they operate in, than any other entity, including the cities themselves." I imagine Google has approximately two to three orders of magnitude more data from cellphones and maps usage. Pull open your Uber app, zoom out until you see, say, 20 Uber drivers. They make a point here, a point there. The Android phones in cars would just make lines on your display. So does Apple, probably, or whoever gets the Apple Maps data. I think Google won't be all that interested in packing that up and making it available... but then again, if Uber's worth 68 billion on the back of that data they may well change their mind.
- LordHumungous 10y ago
  I'm pretty sure uber uses google maps in fact.
  - rrdharan 10y ago
    For now. They hired Brian McClendon to build their own: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_McClendon https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_McClendon

gph 10y ago

Good point, but to play devil's advocate the same general things were said about Twitter and other tech startups. Their main product doesn't have long term profitability, but just think of all that data they have! Surely they must be able to get tons of value out of that right? Easier said than done.

jerf 10y ago

"Uber has more data about traffic patterns in every major city they operate in, than any other entity, including the cities themselves." I imagine Google has approximately two to three orders of magnitude more data from cellphones and maps usage. Pull open your Uber app, zoom out until you see, say, 20 Uber drivers. They make a point here, a point there. The Android phones in cars would just make lines on your display. So does Apple, probably, or whoever gets the Apple Maps data. I think Google won't be all that interested in packing that up and making it available... but then again, if Uber's worth 68 billion on the back of that data they may well change their mind.

LordHumungous 10y ago
I'm pretty sure uber uses google maps in fact.
- rrdharan 10y ago
  For now. They hired Brian McClendon to build their own: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_McClendon https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_McClendon