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Uber Raises Funding at $62.5B Valuation

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Re: Uber Raises Funding at $62.5B Valuation

#41
post #35
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most successful redefinition of labour relations since the begining of overseas manufacturing.

Successful for the company. Not necessarily the population.

I'd disagree with that. It is providing a means of income for many who are unemployed/underemployed. It's much better than nothing. It probably can be better, but most of these drivers aren't complaining.

Re: Uber Raises Funding at $62.5B Valuation

#42
post #35
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most successful redefinition of labour relations since the begining of overseas manufacturing.

Successful for the company. Not necessarily the population.

100% agree. Pushed goverments to review their approach to labour law.

Re: Uber Raises Funding at $62.5B Valuation

#43

So by now Uber has raised capital and debt from: - some pretty famous angle investors - some pretty famous venture capital funds - some pretty famous investment banks - some pretty famous private equity firms - some pretty famous hedge funds - some pretty famous mutual funds It's worth asking, if they have reached the point where their success becomes less about their execution, though that's still important, and mor…

> I've completely changed my mind on Uber, 18 months ago I would have felt nervous as employee joining them when determining if my options would be worth much. Now, I'd be asking if i could put 50% of my paycheck towards buying more options.

Almost seems like this is the ideal point to join one of these unicorns.

Re: Uber Raises Funding at $62.5B Valuation

#44
post #35
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most successful redefinition of labour relations since the begining of overseas manufacturing.

Successful for the company. Not necessarily the population.

For the most part, the fares seem to gravitate toward uber. Drivers likely do better with uber than with local taxi cos who at times act like extortionists (kickbacks or no dispatches, car rental charges, medallion charges, etc.)

Re: Uber Raises Funding at $62.5B Valuation

#45

Uber is now too big to fail. Possibly the most important company this decade. I never cease to be amazed by their phenomenal execution across the world. I was in Mexico City last week where I truly came to understand the enormous impact Uber as a company has had in these past few years. The service was highly prevalent, popular, and the experience was completely seamless — just like in the US. It barely skipped a bea…

The interesting thing is they are still in the mailing DVDs phase of their Netflix plan. The company will almost assuredly be completely different in a decade or two when self driving cars are prevalent. Although it seems that exciting potential future is already priced into these valuations.

Re: Uber Raises Funding at $62.5B Valuation

#46
post #28

Lyft "lost $127 million in the first half of 2015 on $46.7 million in revenue, according to the documents. Lyft said last month that it has gained market share in key markets, such as San Francisco, and has a gross revenue “run rate” of $1 billion." I had no idea lyft was losing 3x the their revenue. That is crazy.

Because most people Uber...? It became a "verb" and well, here we know what that means: "xerox that paper", "google this term"... Nobody is Lyft-ing and everyone is Uber-ing. Once it's verbified, it's hard for competitors to overcome it. I, for one, have used neither. But I have friends and family who travel a lot. Some are in their 20s, 30s, and some in the 60s and they all say they Uber places vs taking a taxi. The…

- Early Uber branding beat the hell out of early Lyft branding

- Uber has no moral compass

That's pretty much it.

Re: Uber Raises Funding at $62.5B Valuation

#47
post #28

Lyft "lost $127 million in the first half of 2015 on $46.7 million in revenue, according to the documents. Lyft said last month that it has gained market share in key markets, such as San Francisco, and has a gross revenue “run rate” of $1 billion." I had no idea lyft was losing 3x the their revenue. That is crazy.

Because most people Uber...? It became a "verb" and well, here we know what that means: "xerox that paper", "google this term"... Nobody is Lyft-ing and everyone is Uber-ing. Once it's verbified, it's hard for competitors to overcome it. I, for one, have used neither. But I have friends and family who travel a lot. Some are in their 20s, 30s, and some in the 60s and they all say they Uber places vs taking a taxi. The…

Disagree that "most people Uber" is the reason Lyft is losing so much money.

I'm not exactly sure when Lyft stopped focusing on international markets to double down on the U.S., but I feel like much of the losses are from "failed" international experimentation.

With my experience in Ohio, I use both preferring whichever can reach me quickest (a 15-20 minute wait here is not abnormal).

Re: Uber Raises Funding at $62.5B Valuation

#48
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Successful for the company. Not necessarily the population.

I'd disagree with that. It is providing a means of income for many who are unemployed/underemployed. It's much better than nothing. It probably can be better, but most of these drivers aren't complaining.

But that can change quickly, history has lots of examples of how asymmetric power relations between the owners of the means of production and the workforce can end in conflict and a heavy push for a regulatory framework.

Re: Uber Raises Funding at $62.5B Valuation

#49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdotal evidence, but I've hardly paid for a Lyft ride (aside from driver tips) for the last few months. This thanks to a long-running 50% off promotion in my area (Austin, TX, USA) and a pile of promotional credit added to my account. I wonder how much of this loss is due to these marketing efforts. Now that the promotion is over and credit depleted, my default ride app is back to Uber.

I'm in Austin and basically did the exact same thing.

I did the same thing as well. They kept claiming the promotion was about to expire, and then just created a new one. I'm waiting for another one to show up.

I am curious how the promotion will work out for them long term - I'm sure some people continue using the app after signing up (stickiness), but a lot of people likely switch back to Uber since it's cheaper.

Re: Uber Raises Funding at $62.5B Valuation

#50
post #28

Lyft "lost $127 million in the first half of 2015 on $46.7 million in revenue, according to the documents. Lyft said last month that it has gained market share in key markets, such as San Francisco, and has a gross revenue “run rate” of $1 billion." I had no idea lyft was losing 3x the their revenue. That is crazy.

Because most people Uber...? It became a "verb" and well, here we know what that means: "xerox that paper", "google this term"... Nobody is Lyft-ing and everyone is Uber-ing. Once it's verbified, it's hard for competitors to overcome it. I, for one, have used neither. But I have friends and family who travel a lot. Some are in their 20s, 30s, and some in the 60s and they all say they Uber places vs taking a taxi. The…

There's something to be said about the advantages of rapid expansion and being the first-mover.

It might be a shit show internally as any growth spurt might have but by the time Lyft tries to enter some of these cities (and that's an if) Uber will have already captured the entire market and it might be a very steep uphill battle to try and gain market share.

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