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What sort of moat does Uber have, though? Sure, it was a slight annoyance to sign up for lyft when they moved into the city my mom lives in, but that was ~5 min

What sort of moat does Uber have, though? Sure, it was a slight annoyance to sign up for lyft when they moved into the city my mom lives in, but that was ~5 minutes of annoyance and some phone data. I don't care at all about Uber, there's very little customer loyalty. How will they defend their valuation if the self driving project doesn't pan out?

leesec 8y ago
Even with self driving, there's effectively no difference to the consumer in experience/product whether the car drives it self or someone else does.
- paulie_a 8y ago
  I strongly disagree. I have had many Uber rides where I wished it took longer to get to my destination. The driver engaged in fantastic conversation. I learned from them, I got insight into the area and recommendations. Self driving seems sterile.
  - shaklee3 8y ago
    Although, they probably wanted it to end so they could make more money on another fare.
    - paulie_a 8y ago
      Understandable, I was just referring to the enjoyable experience of the ride and nice conversation. It sure as hell beats a cab any day.
JumpCrisscross 8y ago
> How will they defend their valuation if the self driving project doesn't pan out? They’re already profitable in New York and San Francisco.
- zrobotics 8y ago
  Profitability doesn't mean defensible though. What separates them from their competitors? That is the point I'm making, not that they are unprofitable.
  - JumpCrisscross 8y ago
    > What separates them from their competitors? Scale. One can reliably get an Uber almost anywhere. That makes it attractive to travelling businesspeople and jet setters, two price insensitive customer segments that Uber almost singularly dominates. Network effects. Ubers are almost always among the fastest transportation options in most cities. Breadth. I never use Uber Eats, but apparently it’s doing quite well. (I don’t know if the above gets me to $70bn. It does, however, point to a gargantuan business.)
    - Fomite 8y ago
      Ironically, where I live getting a Lyft or an actual taxi is easy. Getting an Uber is far more difficult.
      - JohnFen 8y ago
        Agreed. I use actual taxis because (in my area) they're faster and easier than Uber or Lyft. (Also, Uber is a terrible company that doesn't deserve my money.)
        Fomite 8y ago
        The latter is how I discovered the former.
    - isostatic 8y ago
      > Scale. One can reliably get an Uber almost anywhere. That makes it attractive to travelling businesspeople and jet setters, two price insensitive customer segments that Uber almost singularly dominates. Indeed. I was shocked to not be able to get one in China a couple of months ago When I land in Sydney, or Seoul, or Paris, or New York, I don't want to have to work out what app to get, download it, set it up, set up payments, and then hope it works. On the other hand Uber really let me down in Nairobi last year. with an airport pickup, so I don't rely on it there now, and will pre-book a legacy transfer to/from the airport now. They need to keep the quality up across all those cities otherwise they risk someone else winning.

leesec 8y ago

Even with self driving, there's effectively no difference to the consumer in experience/product whether the car drives it self or someone else does.

paulie_a 8y ago
I strongly disagree. I have had many Uber rides where I wished it took longer to get to my destination. The driver engaged in fantastic conversation. I learned from them, I got insight into the area and recommendations. Self driving seems sterile.
- shaklee3 8y ago
  Although, they probably wanted it to end so they could make more money on another fare.
  - paulie_a 8y ago
    Understandable, I was just referring to the enjoyable experience of the ride and nice conversation. It sure as hell beats a cab any day.

JumpCrisscross 8y ago

> How will they defend their valuation if the self driving project doesn't pan out? They’re already profitable in New York and San Francisco.

zrobotics 8y ago
Profitability doesn't mean defensible though. What separates them from their competitors? That is the point I'm making, not that they are unprofitable.
- JumpCrisscross 8y ago
  > What separates them from their competitors? Scale. One can reliably get an Uber almost anywhere. That makes it attractive to travelling businesspeople and jet setters, two price insensitive customer segments that Uber almost singularly dominates. Network effects. Ubers are almost always among the fastest transportation options in most cities. Breadth. I never use Uber Eats, but apparently it’s doing quite well. (I don’t know if the above gets me to $70bn. It does, however, point to a gargantuan business.)
  - Fomite 8y ago
    Ironically, where I live getting a Lyft or an actual taxi is easy. Getting an Uber is far more difficult.
    - JohnFen 8y ago
      Agreed. I use actual taxis because (in my area) they're faster and easier than Uber or Lyft. (Also, Uber is a terrible company that doesn't deserve my money.)
      - Fomite 8y ago
        The latter is how I discovered the former.
  - isostatic 8y ago
    > Scale. One can reliably get an Uber almost anywhere. That makes it attractive to travelling businesspeople and jet setters, two price insensitive customer segments that Uber almost singularly dominates. Indeed. I was shocked to not be able to get one in China a couple of months ago When I land in Sydney, or Seoul, or Paris, or New York, I don't want to have to work out what app to get, download it, set it up, set up payments, and then hope it works. On the other hand Uber really let me down in Nairobi last year. with an airport pickup, so I don't rely on it there now, and will pre-book a legacy transfer to/from the airport now. They need to keep the quality up across all those cities otherwise they risk someone else winning.