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Why I left Google to join Grab

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Re: Why I left Google to join Grab

#51

Post by ian0 »

drej wrote: post #41

Not sure I follow the logic. "[Google] stuck in me-too mode and have been for years. They simply don’t have innovation in their DNA any more. And it’s because their eyes are fixed on their competitors, not their customers." [...] "I just witnessed history in the making. (...) I have not seen a land rush this massive since the early days of the Web, and it just might be even bigger. So what is Grab? Well, the simple a…

They aren't really the Uber of Southeast Asia. They are more like "the potential Alipay/Wechat" of south east Asia.

And given those apps have managed to re-arrange e-comm, on demand, banking & payments industries over the course of a few years id say they are pretty innovative. Take a look at what Kudo (a grab acquisition) does for example.

Also agree with the comment below re countries with high un-employment. At least here in Indonesia on-demand services seem to have made a net positive impact on income levels for low income demographics. Hopefully when one emerges as the victor some regulations are put in place to make sure this remains the case.

Re: Why I left Google to join Grab

#52

Post by cageface »

Grab is very popular here in Vietnam but I'm not as enthusiastic about it as Steve is. First of all, taxi service here is great. Taxis are cheap and plentiful and ripoffs are actually quite rare if you use one of the well known companies. Grab is burning VC to undercut the taxi companies and doesn't really deserve a better rep than Uber in that respect.

Grab motorbike service is also very popular but in this case also displacing an existing local market of independent moto taxi drivers. I'm not sure how their prices for rides compare but I don't see any obvious improvement in the quality of life for drivers.

I'm also less excited by the prospect of food delivery replacing restaurants. Not only does it involve a ton of wasteful packaging, but almost all food suffers a lot in transport. There is no comparison, for example, between a pizza fresh out of the oven and one that's been in a steamy pizza box for 15 minutes.

Re: Why I left Google to join Grab

#53

Post by ian0 »

ian0 wrote: post #51
drej wrote: post #41

Not sure I follow the logic. "[Google] stuck in me-too mode and have been for years. They simply don’t have innovation in their DNA any more. And it’s because their eyes are fixed on their competitors, not their customers." [...] "I just witnessed history in the making. (...) I have not seen a land rush this massive since the early days of the Web, and it just might be even bigger. So what is Grab? Well, the simple a…

They aren't really the Uber of Southeast Asia. They are more like "the potential Alipay/Wechat" of south east Asia. And given those apps have managed to re-arrange e-comm, on demand, banking & payments industries over the course of a few years id say they are pretty innovative. Take a look at what Kudo (a grab acquisition) does for example. Also agree with the comment below re countries with high un-employment. At le…

Only on HN would you be confused whether the down-vote was for defending On-Demand services or talking about regulating them :P

Re: Why I left Google to join Grab

#54

Post by dingleberry »

afaik, riders' time wasted on resto's queue are not paid

also, riders don't get compensation for parking fee

so most riders avoid crowded resto and [tall] buildings (have to park and take elevator -- more unpaid time)

also, money spent on internet and phone calls are not compensated so u get random whatsapp messages from grab/gojek riders ... and sometimes sms (still costs little money tho), but rarely a phone call

Re: Why I left Google to join Grab

#55

Post by sgift »

> When this idea inevitably takes off, people are going to be able to order take-out from their neighbors, from anyone in the city who wants to cook their family recipe. It will change cuisine forever.

I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. As if such things as hygiene regulations didn't exist and you can just open a restaurant by hanging a sign out and telling someone to deliver whatever you just produced in your kitchen.

Well, probably in some part of the world you can. In some part of the world people die of food poisoning all the time, in other parts we learned the hard way that sometimes you need this thing which bothers startups to no end called regulation.

Re: Why I left Google to join Grab

#56

Post by cocktailpeanuts »

ian0 wrote: post #53
ian0 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They aren't really the Uber of Southeast Asia. They are more like "the potential Alipay/Wechat" of south east Asia. And given those apps have managed to re-arrange e-comm, on demand, banking & payments industries over the course of a few years id say they are pretty innovative. Take a look at what Kudo (a grab acquisition) does for example. Also agree with the comment below re countries with high un-employment. At le…

Only on HN would you be confused whether the down-vote was for defending On-Demand services or talking about regulating them :P

Probably downvoted because your comment is irrelevant to the point you're criticizing.

"uber of southeast asia", "alipay of southeast asia", "wechat of southeast asia" all that doesn't matter in this context. They're all unoriginal. Parent was saying how OP is claiming to have left Google because they are unoriginal and frame themselves against competition. That's exactly what "X of Y" is. Doesn't matter what X, or Y is. That's what that expression is designed to do.

Re: Why I left Google to join Grab

#57

Post by kemiller2002 »

sgift wrote: post #55

> When this idea inevitably takes off, people are going to be able to order take-out from their neighbors, from anyone in the city who wants to cook their family recipe. It will change cuisine forever. I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. As if such things as hygiene regulations didn't exist and you can just open a restaurant by hanging a sign out and telling someone to deliver whatever you just produced in y…

Although I agree with you, there is possibly a grain of truth to what he says. There are some states that have regulations for running a (semi) professional kitchen out of a home. It won't be just anyone who can open up a food business and start running it, but it is possible that some people not otherwise able to make it on their own could use this as a marketing vehicle for part time work.

Re: Why I left Google to join Grab

#58

Post by syshum »

reacweb wrote: post #37

I think that Google has a very well thought long term strategy. The sole aim of Google is AI, strong AI. I would like to say like Terminator, Person of Interest or transhumanism, but each time I lose many karma points. One of their main scope was analyzing web pages. By "accident", this has created a lucrative business (search engine). Google's aim is to keep the money flowing to pay their AI research. For research,…

The problem with your theory is there are a TON of evidence it is not in any way reality.

For example, if their primary motivations were Preventing Monopoly status, and feeding their AI Research they would be embracing open standards, Federation of services, and a whole host of other things they have rejected the last decade or so.

They would have never Killed Reader, they would have never taken Hangouts off XMPP, they would have never killed alot of their API's and services web sites were using, they would have never killed the Search Appliance... I could go on and on and one

Google does not have a Grand Master plan playing 5D chess to get to the Singularity.... They are just another Top Heavy Corporation focused on Quarterly earning statements and marred in Internal and External Politics.

Re: Why I left Google to join Grab

#59

Post by jondubois »

>> This is not hyperbole. This morning I saw a spy photo of an Indonesian mafia-run operation: a big seedy-looking room full of guys with stacks of phones doing fake ride bookings.

WTF? Why would the mafia do fake ride bookings? Who is paying them? Sounds like a certain company is trying to pump up their numbers artificially.

The whole ride-sharing thing is a massive bubble and OP's blind enthusiasm only confirms this. When I went to Thailand, taxi was so cheap, I felt compelled to give the driver a 100% tip.

Halfway through, the article started to sound like satire. I was expecting to get to the end of the article and see "Just kidding! seriously people; stick to Google..."

Re: Why I left Google to join Grab

#60

Post by mantas »

limaoscarjuliet wrote: post #50
mantas wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fun story... Major supermarkets in my country announced they're phasing out caged chicken eggs. Vast majority of feedback I saw so far is people pissed off cheapest eggs will be gone. Looks like there's agreement this is conspiracy to rip off customers. So yeah.. I doubt people could gang up on unsustainable businesses as long as they personally pay less.

"We are pledging we are in the process of thinking about moving towards streamlining possible future transition to making 10% of EGGS CAGE FREE." Ok, not a direct quote from mayo bottle but you get the gist of it. Now the funny part, my better half has a hotel and restaurant. She has trouble working with good ingredients because people demand crap ones they are used to.

> Now the funny part, my better half has a hotel and restaurant. She has trouble working with good ingredients because people demand crap ones they are used to.

That was my exact experience first time I bought high quality peanut butter. The oil had separated and stayed at the top. I thought something went wrong and I was ripped off. Took me some googling to realise that's what happens if the maker don't take away natural nuts oil and don't replace it with palm oil. Took me some time to adjust to natural no-unnecessary-additives jams too.

Now cheap knockoffs taste like shit though. The overexposed taste is just too lame and lacks depth.

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