11–20 of 271 posts
The West and China are playing a global chess game and have been for some time. An impoverished China was not in the West's interests and so they agreed to buy all kinds of lowish tech Chinese made goods. In return most jurisdictions enforced a balance of trade with China, with the exception of the US. On their end China insisted on joint ventures and technology transfer to the extent Western companies would comply.…
duplicate of this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12218211
So Didi was actually better; it's a bit unfair to say that otherwise the game would have been rigged.
This is simply not true (edit: not going to happen). I'm a fan of Uber, but using Uber is kinda like a exotic thing to do (while Didi is more common). Uber can be only used in major cities, on the other hand Didi can be used almost anywhere. Didi simply expand faster in China. (Uber is available in less than 20 Chinese cities while Didi appears in hundreds.)
Also I don't view the merge of Uber China and Didi as a failure on Uber's side. It's more or less a peace treaty or truce (edit: between Uber per se and Didi, yes I know Uber China was merged). Uber-like service is simply too cheap in China for a long time, (I Uber to work for less than $2 for example), and both side cannot hold it any more. It's as simple as that.
(Before the Didi-Uber merge, there's a similar merge of Didi and it's major competitor Kuaidi, thus the full name Didi-Kuaidi, in which both side are Chinese companies and it's just that after long competition investors decided to facilitate a merge. This merge makes Uber the second largest, before that they were the 3rd.)
The story between Google and Baidu is a whole different one. First search engine as a gateway to informations is viewed as vital by the Chinese government and government really worked on Baidu's side.
"Put simply, China likes locals to succeed over foreign companies, and will act accordingly." This is SO Un-American!
Anyone remember when GM had to be bailed out, but at the time, they were actually generating profits in China and it was one of their few bright spots? Ford likewise. I just don't buy this.
According to reports on the ground, Didi used its local knowledge to act more nimbly in satisfying Chinese customers. But my guess is that if the American ride-sharing company had been more successful, China would have put a Mao-sized thumb on the scales. So Didi was actually better; it's a bit unfair to say that otherwise the game would have been rigged.
I'm sure people know, in China, call center operates way cheaper than in U.S. This and the fact that people are unwilling to use Email are some of the major sources of complaint on Uber I've heard about.
The West and China are playing a global chess game and have been for some time. An impoverished China was not in the West's interests and so they agreed to buy all kinds of lowish tech Chinese made goods. In return most jurisdictions enforced a balance of trade with China, with the exception of the US. On their end China insisted on joint ventures and technology transfer to the extent Western companies would comply.…
Maybe China stacks the cards in its home market, but its not like the US (and other Western countries) doesn't.