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The most interesting bit is that Uber is responsible for operations. > Through this expanded partnership, Uber will provide fleet management services including

by ra7 2y ago

The most interesting bit is that Uber is responsible for operations. > Through this expanded partnership, Uber will provide fleet management services including vehicle cleaning, repair, and other general depot operations. Waymo will continue to be responsible for the testing and operation of the Waymo Driver, including roadside assistance and certain rider support functions.

alephnerd 2y ago
That tracks. Google doesn't want to get bogged down with operational work. A lot of the operations for Waymo were also done by contractors Alphabet hired via Adecco. Most contract hiring at Google is hired from Adecco. For example - https://www.adecco.com/en-us/job-search/project-manager-ii-mountain-view-california/us_en_99_025107_2305642 https://www.adecco.com/en-us/job-search/project-manager-ii-m...
e_y_ 2y ago
I thought Uber just let drivers ("independent contractors") deal with the vehicle maintenance and cleaning up when someone pukes in the back. Do they even have their own depots?
- nfw2 2y ago
  I expect Uber is feeling extreme pressure to stay relevant, which may means changing the operational model significantly
  - dkrich 2y ago
    100% this. Dara came in and pulled all the P&L levers he could- basically closing down their own autonomous unit and buying a stake in aurora technology to allow another company to lose money and not have it show on their balance sheet. Then raising prices and lowering pay as much as possible. They are now entirely reliant on quarter to quarter consumer spending and the performance of three stock holdings which are completely out of their hands. Expect more and more manufactured headlines to keep the AV story in tact.
angryasian 2y ago
yeah this is interesting. I forgot where I read recently but Google needs to build out big depots where the cars can come back and charge etc. Its a huge cost of operations. Offloading all that to Uber who can basically become a marketplace of robotaxis and service many companies makes a lot of sense for both companies.
- dkrich 2y ago
  The economics of this seem highly questionable. After all how many robotaxi companies can there possibly be given the costs associated with vehicle ownership and autonomous software development? In a world where it costs nothing to create content or launch a drop shipping business aggregators like meta and Amazon make sense. But if you end up with like three AV providers, Uber seems like an unnecessary middleman in a business where margins are already incredibly tight. You have to always remember that the competition is a guy in a car charging a couple bucks a mile

by ra7 2y ago

alephnerd 2y ago

That tracks. Google doesn't want to get bogged down with operational work. A lot of the operations for Waymo were also done by contractors Alphabet hired via Adecco. Most contract hiring at Google is hired from Adecco. For example - https://www.adecco.com/en-us/job-search/project-manager-ii-mountain-view-california/us_en_99_025107_2305642 https://www.adecco.com/en-us/job-search/project-manager-ii-m...

e_y_ 2y ago

I thought Uber just let drivers ("independent contractors") deal with the vehicle maintenance and cleaning up when someone pukes in the back. Do they even have their own depots?

nfw2 2y ago
I expect Uber is feeling extreme pressure to stay relevant, which may means changing the operational model significantly
- dkrich 2y ago
  100% this. Dara came in and pulled all the P&L levers he could- basically closing down their own autonomous unit and buying a stake in aurora technology to allow another company to lose money and not have it show on their balance sheet. Then raising prices and lowering pay as much as possible. They are now entirely reliant on quarter to quarter consumer spending and the performance of three stock holdings which are completely out of their hands. Expect more and more manufactured headlines to keep the AV story in tact.

angryasian 2y ago

yeah this is interesting. I forgot where I read recently but Google needs to build out big depots where the cars can come back and charge etc. Its a huge cost of operations. Offloading all that to Uber who can basically become a marketplace of robotaxis and service many companies makes a lot of sense for both companies.

dkrich 2y ago
The economics of this seem highly questionable. After all how many robotaxi companies can there possibly be given the costs associated with vehicle ownership and autonomous software development? In a world where it costs nothing to create content or launch a drop shipping business aggregators like meta and Amazon make sense. But if you end up with like three AV providers, Uber seems like an unnecessary middleman in a business where margins are already incredibly tight. You have to always remember that the competition is a guy in a car charging a couple bucks a mile