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In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All

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Re: In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All

#51

Post by danielnaab »

kzhahou wrote: post #50
danielnaab wrote: post #10

A decentralized ride solicitation tool with a reputation system, maybe blockchain-based, could kill off Uber and Lyft almost overnight. Especially if existing taxi companies embraced it. I want to know if a driver is licensed, insured, etc. Uber doesn't provide that, and I don't like the rent-seeking aspect of their service. If it's winner-takes-all, it's only a matter of time until another winner takes all. I don't…

Blockchains will unseat Uber? Spoken like a true techie! Uber has a reputation system. It can double down on insurance/license guarantees. Decentralized has no immediate direct benefit for riders.

>> Decentralized has no immediate direct benefit for riders.

Yes, but decentralized could have a very direct benefit for drivers... considering that sans an army of driverless cars, driver supply is what makes Uber's "sharing economy" work.

(Not to mention that the insurance/license guarantees are not currently being satisfied.)

Re: In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All

#52

Post by gotrecruit »

mwsherman wrote: post #8

I don’t see much network effect with Uber. I see a liquidity effect, to a degree, but the barriers of entry are low on both supply and demand side. To the extent Uber has a network effect it’s O(n) at best. I don’t have a connection to other Uber users. I like that there are enough users to make it worth the drivers’ while – again, liquidity, not network. On Facebook, network effect is probably O(n^2). The connection…

i'm not too sure what you're getting at with the use of big-o notation here. what exactly are you saying is being "upper bounded"?

Re: In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All

#53

Post by powera »

danielnaab wrote: post #10

A decentralized ride solicitation tool with a reputation system, maybe blockchain-based, could kill off Uber and Lyft almost overnight. Especially if existing taxi companies embraced it. I want to know if a driver is licensed, insured, etc. Uber doesn't provide that, and I don't like the rent-seeking aspect of their service. If it's winner-takes-all, it's only a matter of time until another winner takes all. I don't…

Maybe downvotes because the claim that your combination of buzzwords "could kill off Uber and Lyft almost overnight" requires more backing than just asking people "why would [it] not work"?

Re: In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All

#54

Post by isabelrotton »

No matter what business we do, "can do" sprite is the most important element. Look at Uber, Sidecar and Gogovan. I think everyone can generate similar ideas but no one do it. The one who did it succeed. Start up business is a gamble. Being a pioneer of the industry takes the highest risk but also get higher opportunity to gain market share.

Re: In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All

#55

Post by PhasmaFelis »

seibelj wrote: post #12
bsder wrote: post #11

Not sure SideCar is a good example. Investors are pouring billions of dollars into Uber and Lyft in an attempt to get the monopoly position. That doesn't sound much like a natural "winner take all". Google got lucky because AltaVista was run by Digital Equipment Corporation, whose marketing was legendarily bad (slogan: "DEC has it now, but you can't have it.")

Source for that slogan? Can't find it anywhere

"DEC has it now" was from the late '80s; I can't find the original source, but tech media referenced it occasionally in the following years. [1][2] The "you can't have it" part was Bader's joke, of course.

[1] https://books.google.com/books?id=nBwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA19&lpg=P...

[2] https://books.google.com/books?id=gx0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17&lpg=P...

Re: In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All

#56

Post by steven2012 »

danielnaab wrote: post #10

A decentralized ride solicitation tool with a reputation system, maybe blockchain-based, could kill off Uber and Lyft almost overnight. Especially if existing taxi companies embraced it. I want to know if a driver is licensed, insured, etc. Uber doesn't provide that, and I don't like the rent-seeking aspect of their service. If it's winner-takes-all, it's only a matter of time until another winner takes all. I don't…

Because claiming "a decentralized ride solicitation tool with a reputation system, maybe blockchain-based, could kill off Uber and Lyft almost overnight" shows you don't know what you're talking about. You don't know what Uber does or the value it adds in keeping the critical mass of drivers and customers necessary to have a functional and high performing marketplace.

Re: In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All

#57

Post by steven2012 »

askafriend wrote: post #21
bryanlarsen wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ultimate test for a monopoly is if the monopolist could raise prices significantly and not lose significant business to competitors. I don't think Uber could pass that test.

If you can get rides with Uber instantly versus waiting 20-30mins with the competition, then Uber can raise prices a bit and not lose many customers. People are impatient and Uber has already trained a vast audience that you click a button and get a car in 10mins or less. Once you get used to it, you won't settle for an inferior network where you have to wait 2x or 3x for a couple bucks less.

Uber keeps dropping their prices, not raising them.

Re: In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All

#58

Post by greggman »

aetherson wrote: post #27
danielnaab wrote: post #10

A decentralized ride solicitation tool with a reputation system, maybe blockchain-based, could kill off Uber and Lyft almost overnight. Especially if existing taxi companies embraced it. I want to know if a driver is licensed, insured, etc. Uber doesn't provide that, and I don't like the rent-seeking aspect of their service. If it's winner-takes-all, it's only a matter of time until another winner takes all. I don't…

An interesting problem of working with "real" cabs is that you have to compete with street hails (that is, people doing the traditional stand-on-the-curb-and-wave-their-arms deal). This is a surprisingly big issue. During slow times, it's not a big deal. But during slow times, you also aren't providing very many rides to the cabbies. And also pricing, which I'll come back to. During peak times, it's very likely in a…

I'm curious how this is any different than Uber other than presentation? During peak hours there's peak pricing and not enough cars to go around so I have to wait.

Also, if it was legal for drivers to pick up hails I'm sure many drivers would just turn off Uber during peak and then turn it back on after, no "flakiness". Besides, their rep will go down if they bail on pickups so it seems like they'd just turn if off during peak to avoid that.

Re: In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All

#59

Post by pbreit »

danielnaab wrote: post #10

A decentralized ride solicitation tool with a reputation system, maybe blockchain-based, could kill off Uber and Lyft almost overnight. Especially if existing taxi companies embraced it. I want to know if a driver is licensed, insured, etc. Uber doesn't provide that, and I don't like the rent-seeking aspect of their service. If it's winner-takes-all, it's only a matter of time until another winner takes all. I don't…

Your first sentence is completely ridiculous.

Re: In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All

#60

Post by littletimmy »

marme wrote: post #43
jpatokal wrote: post #40

Lyft has already lost the battle. The one to watch is Uber vs Didi Kuaidi, which owns China's market (80%+, vs <15% for Uber) and is tightly integrated into Wechat/Weixin, which is rapidly expanding outside China.

Didi Kuaidi is only competitive in china because of homefield advantage. They have used bribes and other tactics to hinder uber. Uber has had to fight with the government to even allow them to operate while didi kuaidi was granted a license to operate from day one because they are invested with big names who have government connections. Outside of china didi kuaidi can not compete with uber. It is the same reason why…

It is wrong to assume corruption. It might just be that China prefers seeing local companies run the Chinese market, and engages in a form of protectionism. That is perfectly justified and not corrupt.
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