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Uber Posts $708M Loss as Finance Head Leaves

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Re: Uber Posts $708M Loss as Finance Head Leaves

#81
post #39

$708 million loss, narrowed from $991 million last quarter 18% growth from last quarter (note: that's not Y/Y. this is ridiculously fast, given the huge base.) 708mm loss / 3.4 billion in revenue is only about 20% under even. And what most people miss, is that the 3.4 billion is the 30% cut Uber takes from a ride. Prices don't have to rise 20% to break even, prices have to rise 6% (assuming no efficiency improvements…

> And what most people miss, is that the 3.4 billion is the 30% cut Uber takes from a ride. Prices don't have to rise 20% to break even, prices have to rise 6% No, they have to rise by more than that. Your math is technically correct (a 6% rise gives you an extra $700 million), but you are assuming that the price increase goes entirely to Uber. There is no way Uber can increase prices by 6% and give none of that upsi…

And raising fares by 20% is going to reduce demand.

Re: Uber Posts $708M Loss as Finance Head Leaves

#82
post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lyft just isn't a real competitor outside of major American cities right now. Go to a city without an international airport and see how many lyft drivers there are.

Oh, for sure. But being spread thinly over dozens of small markets isn't necessarily a better idea than concentrating on a few large ones.

Counter example India, Lyft can now never come here. Soon it will be one of Uber's biggest market.

Re: Uber Posts $708M Loss as Finance Head Leaves

#84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>An irrelevant percent of people will choose to take the bus because their $10 ride is now $10.50. That's not how the market works at scale.

And not all markets behave the same. So pretending to know what Uber customers will do is asinine.

True, but Uber does know, and they probably have teams of data scientists and economists optimizing the fare charge to maximize revenue. My guess is that if Uber could eliminate their losses and suffer no decrease in fares by raising rates 6%, then they would have.

Re: Uber Posts $708M Loss as Finance Head Leaves

#85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many of my friends open both Lyft and Uber. They choose whichever is cheaper. Sure, Lyft might take a few more minutes to arrive. If you time it well ahead, it does not cost you more time. For me, I would rather take Lyft even if it is a little more expensive and takes a little longer. I hope Lyft catches up and makes it a real competition, which benefits consumers eventually.

In Australia we only have Uber and taxis. Nobody is switching to taxis because of a 10% price increase. Because most people are using Uber for the fact that they will always come, always pick you up and always drop you off at the right spot. So it's fantastic that Lyft is doing okay in the US. But Uber is playing a whole different game.

Exactly. I'm in Australia and have no idea how Uber and taxi prices compare. I use Uber because of the quality of their product.

Not a big fan of Uber as a company though. If Lyft of another viable competitor set up shop here then I'd be open to switching.

Re: Uber Posts $708M Loss as Finance Head Leaves

#86
I know most people hate on uber, but it has impacted my life a lot. I think the model they've demonstrated is a legit model, and the ruthlessness with which they pursue it should not take anything away from the company's value. In fact, it should add. I want companies to show a giant middle finger to monopolistic city laws that harm citizens.

Re: Uber Posts $708M Loss as Finance Head Leaves

#87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not buying that most people use Lyft in your area - passengers or drivers. I believe you think that and your circle of people may also be doing the same, but beyond that, I'm guessing there's a lot of bias. Especially if you're saying everywhere you go Lyft seems to be more popular among riders. It's just not true at all. For my own anecdote, I'd bet 75% of my FB friends with smartphones within my age range, 21-4…

As long as we're sharing anecdotes, most of the people I know, parents and young kids included, have made the switch to Lyft starting about 8 months ago. They seem to be the less evil company, so people enjoy working for and using them.

Most of my family and friends exclusively use Uber because of Travis and his values.

Re: Uber Posts $708M Loss as Finance Head Leaves

#88

$708 million loss, narrowed from $991 million last quarter 18% growth from last quarter (note: that's not Y/Y. this is ridiculously fast, given the huge base.) 708mm loss / 3.4 billion in revenue is only about 20% under even. And what most people miss, is that the 3.4 billion is the 30% cut Uber takes from a ride. Prices don't have to rise 20% to break even, prices have to rise 6% (assuming no efficiency improvements…

that's incorrect. $3.4B is their gross revenue (gross bookings) and out of that they probably paid 70% to drivers ($2.4B). i say probably because that assumes a single revenue source, no diffential payments to drivers and no other direct costs (COGS).

so indeed, they would need revenues to go up by ~20% to break even. that in turn means a 20% rise in average prices to break even (again assuming a single revenue source).

Re: Uber Posts $708M Loss as Finance Head Leaves

#89

Great example of how the headlines can drive a story more than the story itself. While Uber may have posted $708 million of losses, it is also up 18% in revenue from last quarter. That's 3.4 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2017. Uber is making approximately $1,500,000 per hour. I dislike Uber as much as the next person for ethical reasons, but a company that can achieve millions of dollars in revenue per day,…

I buy gas from across the street for 3 dollars a gallon. I sell it for 2. I sell 1.5 million dollars an hour. My business is doing great.

Are you also doing self driving car research from the money?

Re: Uber Posts $708M Loss as Finance Head Leaves

#90

I wonder how they'll be able to raise more cash with all this turmoil within the company. Even a 15B [1] cash hoard can't last much longer at this burn rate. [1] https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/06/21/business/dealbook/why-...

People are standing in line.
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