8 ms·

While you're not wrong about most of this. uChat is actually built by a pretty large team https://eng.uber.com/uchat/ https://eng.uber.com/uchat/

spookthesunset 7y ago
> uChat is actually built by a pretty large team Which is even more scary. Why isn't uber laying all these people off and paying cash money for a real chat application? What competitive advantage does uber have maintaining a chat application?
- fuzz4lyfe 7y ago
  Preventing engineers who are working on it from working at the competition?
  - echelon 7y ago
    That's pretty stupid. If this was truly their strategy, they're just raising everyone's costs. They can't out-compete Google at this game.
    - TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
      Google has a chat app? What's it called this week?
- segmondy 7y ago
  They might have to pivot into a chat company
  - sdan 7y ago
    "Uber Chat -- because that's one thing you didn't know you needed!"
  - JohnJamesRambo 7y ago
    Only profitable if they can ever find a way to make the chat self-driving.
    - TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
      Group chats all ready are: You can take your hands off completely, even go and do something else, read a book, write an email, book some flights, and the chat will drive itself ... somewhere.
    - toomanybeersies 7y ago
      With more and more chat and email apps offering auto-generated/suggested replies (e.g. what Gmail offers) we're on our way there.
  - _pmf_ 7y ago
    I might actually hire an Uber for the express purpose of having someone to talk to. In Germany, taxi drivers were often former "German studies" or Philosophy students who did not find a job, so it was kind of guaranteed that you'd have a competent, honest communication partner (albeit left leaning).
    - chosenbreed37 7y ago
      I think that's brilliant. I'm curious as to why it is not regarded as proper job. I don't think it's unique to Germany though. I think it is as honorable an occupation as any. And for the philosophical types it might actually be quite a good occupation as it may not be as taxing on the mind (apart from the time they spent thinking on their favorite subjects). That frees them up to study, research and write in their spare time. Secondly I'm curious as to why they tend to be left leaning...
- vadym909 7y ago
  Why doesn't Uber spend less on Engg and pay more to their drivers- which may actually help its business.
  - icebraining 7y ago
    If they fired 1000 engineers, at $250k/year each, that would come to about $1.2/week more for each monthly active driver.
siddarthd2919 7y ago
How is Slack not suing Uber for uChat? The images on the link look like an exact copy.
- Meekro 7y ago
  Check out some screenshots of Discord, that basically looks like "Slack with a dark theme."
  - redwall_hp 7y ago
    And they all look like any generic IRC client with fatter margins and some other 2010+ fluff.
- bagels 7y ago
  Would need to sue Discord too.
- a13n 7y ago
  On what grounds would they sue? Not only is it completely legal to copy a competitor's design (in most cases), Uber isn't selling this to other companies.
  - 8ytecoder 7y ago
    I don’t understand why the above user is getting downvoted to oblivion by people who don’t understand legalities. Trade dress[1] is a form of intellectual property. This is what prevents a company from copying a competitor down to the pixel. Apple and Samsung fought an infamous and long legal battle over this. [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_dress https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_dress [2] https://revisionlegal.com/trademarks/lessons-trademarking-trade-dress-apple-vs-samsung/ https://revisionlegal.com/trademarks/lessons-trademarking-tr...
    - infinite8s 7y ago
      It only matters for product you sell (hence the reference to consumer confusion). Ubers chat sounds like it's solely for internal use.
xxxpupugo 7y ago
Wow...that is pretty wasteful

spookthesunset 7y ago

> uChat is actually built by a pretty large team Which is even more scary. Why isn't uber laying all these people off and paying cash money for a real chat application? What competitive advantage does uber have maintaining a chat application?

fuzz4lyfe 7y ago
Preventing engineers who are working on it from working at the competition?
- echelon 7y ago
  That's pretty stupid. If this was truly their strategy, they're just raising everyone's costs. They can't out-compete Google at this game.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
    Google has a chat app? What's it called this week?
segmondy 7y ago
They might have to pivot into a chat company
- sdan 7y ago
  "Uber Chat -- because that's one thing you didn't know you needed!"
- JohnJamesRambo 7y ago
  Only profitable if they can ever find a way to make the chat self-driving.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
    Group chats all ready are: You can take your hands off completely, even go and do something else, read a book, write an email, book some flights, and the chat will drive itself ... somewhere.
  - toomanybeersies 7y ago
    With more and more chat and email apps offering auto-generated/suggested replies (e.g. what Gmail offers) we're on our way there.
- _pmf_ 7y ago
  I might actually hire an Uber for the express purpose of having someone to talk to. In Germany, taxi drivers were often former "German studies" or Philosophy students who did not find a job, so it was kind of guaranteed that you'd have a competent, honest communication partner (albeit left leaning).
  - chosenbreed37 7y ago
    I think that's brilliant. I'm curious as to why it is not regarded as proper job. I don't think it's unique to Germany though. I think it is as honorable an occupation as any. And for the philosophical types it might actually be quite a good occupation as it may not be as taxing on the mind (apart from the time they spent thinking on their favorite subjects). That frees them up to study, research and write in their spare time. Secondly I'm curious as to why they tend to be left leaning...
vadym909 7y ago
Why doesn't Uber spend less on Engg and pay more to their drivers- which may actually help its business.
- icebraining 7y ago
  If they fired 1000 engineers, at $250k/year each, that would come to about $1.2/week more for each monthly active driver.

siddarthd2919 7y ago

How is Slack not suing Uber for uChat? The images on the link look like an exact copy.

Meekro 7y ago
Check out some screenshots of Discord, that basically looks like "Slack with a dark theme."
- redwall_hp 7y ago
  And they all look like any generic IRC client with fatter margins and some other 2010+ fluff.
bagels 7y ago
Would need to sue Discord too.
a13n 7y ago
On what grounds would they sue? Not only is it completely legal to copy a competitor's design (in most cases), Uber isn't selling this to other companies.
- 8ytecoder 7y ago
  I don’t understand why the above user is getting downvoted to oblivion by people who don’t understand legalities. Trade dress[1] is a form of intellectual property. This is what prevents a company from copying a competitor down to the pixel. Apple and Samsung fought an infamous and long legal battle over this. [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_dress https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_dress [2] https://revisionlegal.com/trademarks/lessons-trademarking-trade-dress-apple-vs-samsung/ https://revisionlegal.com/trademarks/lessons-trademarking-tr...
  - infinite8s 7y ago
    It only matters for product you sell (hence the reference to consumer confusion). Ubers chat sounds like it's solely for internal use.

xxxpupugo 7y ago

Wow...that is pretty wasteful