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>>Google opens an Uber competitor. Uber opens a Google (research) competitor. Yep, but I feel like one significantly outclasses the other as a research facilit

by serf 12y ago

>>Google opens an Uber competitor. Uber opens a Google (research) competitor. Yep, but I feel like one significantly outclasses the other as a research facility. Will be interesting to see what happens. >>but Google doesn't have the killer instinct that Uber does. Why do you say that about the most visited site in the world? Genuine question.

krschultz 12y ago
I'm an Android developer, so that experience colors my perception. But compare Apple and Google in mobile. Everything Apple comes up with goes into making their product better, and they will fight with every tool they have to make the iPhone the better smart phone. Every time Google comes up with a high quality product (Google Now, Inbox, Maps), they do everything they can to ship it on iOS as well as Android. If it wasn't for Apple, Google Now & Maps would be just as good on iOS as on Android. Google doesn't use their cloud service advantages as a weapon to make Android better than iOS. They just want their technology in front of everyone, no matter what they use. I see self driving cars as a similar market. Google wants self driving cars to happen. There are lots of good reasons, but from their perspective it is both a play for even more data, and it increases the amount of time we have to use Google products. I can look at ads even longer if I don't have to drive on my commute. Thus for them doesn't it make sense to license/give away all of that tech to everybody? It doesn't matter who manufacturers the car, so long as it uses Google's car software. Thus, plenty of companies will make self driving cars using Google's software. Thus Uber will have plenty of access to self driving cars. If Google was more focused on killing Uber, they would hoard the self driving software for their 1st party initiative. I imagine if Uber invents self driving tech, no one else is getting it. They are far more interested in the core product of driving people from A to B. It's a bit of 'commodize your compliments' and the two companies respective business model. Google operates a scorched earth campaign of making everything around ad supported internet as cheap or free as possible. Uber and Apple are building businesses around charging money for the product they make directly.
- bentcorner 12y ago
  > They just want their technology in front of everyone, no matter what they use. I don't know about that - the Windows Phone people are pretty bitter about Google's current stance (no maps, no youtube, no hangouts).
- ProAm 12y ago
  > Everything Apple comes up with goes into making their product better Apple maps? Your statement used to be true, but not anymore.
- minthd 12y ago
  You misunderstand the motivation behind self-driving cars. It's not ads and not data. Google has enough of that. It's just that a huge bunch of money goes to whoever who controls those.
WillNotDownvote 12y ago
Based on the past, in 2 years Google will have shut down their Uber-esque project. Meanwhile, Uber will be spending money researching their core business and will keep pressing on with shipping, consumer-focused products.
- forgotpasswd3x 12y ago
  How exactly do you feel you can make those predictions about Uber? I mean, other than the ridesharing thing, what other consumer focused products have Uber shipped? You can't really make a good prediction based on one thing, right?
- puranjay 12y ago
  Another issue some people here have overlooked: Google is a public company. It is responsible to its shareholders who seldom share the founders' long-term vision. 1 year of Google losing cash on an ambitious car project and investors will start grumbling. Another year of that and you will have some 'activist investor' asking for ending the damn thing and going back to making profits. Uber is a private company and a growing one at that. It is expected to lose money. It can go all in without anyone but its private investors questioning it - private investors who want it to do whatever it can for a $100B IPO
  - minthd 12y ago
    Google is public , but they offered unique stocks where control stays with the founders. So if they decide to invest in competing with UBER ,they will.
puranjay 12y ago
Google is the most visited site in the world because it offers a product that is significantly better than its competitors. Google is yet to display the aggressive expand-at-all-costs philosophy of Uber. Despite all those privacy concerns, I still believe that many of the guys at Google believe that "Don't be Evil" mantra. It also helps that the guys who've been in charge so far - Page, Brin and Schmidt - are, at heart, nerds who just love technology. Page and Brin are mostly accidental businessmen - they were doing their PhDs, not trying to build the next Microsoft. Kalanick and the guys running Uber seem to be more about business than technology. Nothing wrong with that, of course. This gives them the killer 'profit at all costs' instinct OP describes. Plus, Google does about 10 things (maps, Android, search, Devices, Plus, video, cloud services, productivity software, Chrome, Chrome OS, autonomous cars, etc.). Uber does only one thing. That helps it to focus - a key ingredient of 'killer instinct'

by serf 12y ago

krschultz 12y ago

I'm an Android developer, so that experience colors my perception. But compare Apple and Google in mobile. Everything Apple comes up with goes into making their product better, and they will fight with every tool they have to make the iPhone the better smart phone. Every time Google comes up with a high quality product (Google Now, Inbox, Maps), they do everything they can to ship it on iOS as well as Android. If it wasn't for Apple, Google Now & Maps would be just as good on iOS as on Android. Google doesn't use their cloud service advantages as a weapon to make Android better than iOS. They just want their technology in front of everyone, no matter what they use. I see self driving cars as a similar market. Google wants self driving cars to happen. There are lots of good reasons, but from their perspective it is both a play for even more data, and it increases the amount of time we have to use Google products. I can look at ads even longer if I don't have to drive on my commute. Thus for them doesn't it make sense to license/give away all of that tech to everybody? It doesn't matter who manufacturers the car, so long as it uses Google's car software. Thus, plenty of companies will make self driving cars using Google's software. Thus Uber will have plenty of access to self driving cars. If Google was more focused on killing Uber, they would hoard the self driving software for their 1st party initiative. I imagine if Uber invents self driving tech, no one else is getting it. They are far more interested in the core product of driving people from A to B. It's a bit of 'commodize your compliments' and the two companies respective business model. Google operates a scorched earth campaign of making everything around ad supported internet as cheap or free as possible. Uber and Apple are building businesses around charging money for the product they make directly.

bentcorner 12y ago
> They just want their technology in front of everyone, no matter what they use. I don't know about that - the Windows Phone people are pretty bitter about Google's current stance (no maps, no youtube, no hangouts).
ProAm 12y ago
> Everything Apple comes up with goes into making their product better Apple maps? Your statement used to be true, but not anymore.
minthd 12y ago
You misunderstand the motivation behind self-driving cars. It's not ads and not data. Google has enough of that. It's just that a huge bunch of money goes to whoever who controls those.

WillNotDownvote 12y ago

Based on the past, in 2 years Google will have shut down their Uber-esque project. Meanwhile, Uber will be spending money researching their core business and will keep pressing on with shipping, consumer-focused products.

forgotpasswd3x 12y ago
How exactly do you feel you can make those predictions about Uber? I mean, other than the ridesharing thing, what other consumer focused products have Uber shipped? You can't really make a good prediction based on one thing, right?
puranjay 12y ago
Another issue some people here have overlooked: Google is a public company. It is responsible to its shareholders who seldom share the founders' long-term vision. 1 year of Google losing cash on an ambitious car project and investors will start grumbling. Another year of that and you will have some 'activist investor' asking for ending the damn thing and going back to making profits. Uber is a private company and a growing one at that. It is expected to lose money. It can go all in without anyone but its private investors questioning it - private investors who want it to do whatever it can for a $100B IPO
- minthd 12y ago
  Google is public , but they offered unique stocks where control stays with the founders. So if they decide to invest in competing with UBER ,they will.

puranjay 12y ago

Google is the most visited site in the world because it offers a product that is significantly better than its competitors. Google is yet to display the aggressive expand-at-all-costs philosophy of Uber. Despite all those privacy concerns, I still believe that many of the guys at Google believe that "Don't be Evil" mantra. It also helps that the guys who've been in charge so far - Page, Brin and Schmidt - are, at heart, nerds who just love technology. Page and Brin are mostly accidental businessmen - they were doing their PhDs, not trying to build the next Microsoft. Kalanick and the guys running Uber seem to be more about business than technology. Nothing wrong with that, of course. This gives them the killer 'profit at all costs' instinct OP describes. Plus, Google does about 10 things (maps, Android, search, Devices, Plus, video, cloud services, productivity software, Chrome, Chrome OS, autonomous cars, etc.). Uber does only one thing. That helps it to focus - a key ingredient of 'killer instinct'