Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near • Hacker News Board

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#261

Post by OldManAndTheCpp » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 4:31 PM UTC

brianpgordon wrote: post #224

burlesona wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I highly recommmend the electric scooter. So fast and so fun. I got this one: https://ecorecoscooter.com/product/l5

I had that scooter and used it for my daily commute for a couple of years. The first time I hit a pothole, I shattered my clavicle and had to call an ambulance. The second – and last – time I hit a pothole, I broke my humerus in two places but was was able to take a Lyft to the emergency room. I completely lost the use of my right hand for a couple of months because swelling pinched off the nerves. Extremely inconven…

I don't understand why you went back to using a scooter, if you were so clearly able to diagnose the dangers, and had one fairly severe injury. Why not switch to a commuter bike (the ~1 ft wheel foldable ones)?

Also, separate question, my understanding is that potholes are mainly formed by freeze/thaw cycles -- weather not typically found in SF. Have you lived in Chicago or NYC? Can you contrast the pothole density between those three cities?

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#262

Post by SilasX » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 4:37 PM UTC

1stcity3rdcoast wrote: post #254

pmart123 wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d agree with Uber making a big positive impact, but without the iPhone, there is no Uber. I’m not sure many remember the challenges to ordering a taxi/booking a ride pre-Uber. The problem though is it is very much like the airline industry pre 2014. It is a challenging business model with a lot a capital and resources required to make it work. Ironically, Travis probably could have sold Uber Eats to Amazon now and…

I used to call Uber in the early 2010-2012 days on my Blackberry by texting my current location. Worked great even without an app.

Yep! You can see the option in this cache of the site from January 2011:

https://web.archive.org/web/20110109084838/http://www.uber.c...

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#263

Post by erikpukinskis » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 5:12 PM UTC

deepVoid wrote: post #90

sherlock_h wrote: post #31

Over the long run, at least in the U.S. it seems like Uber/Lyft are edging towards a comfortable duopoly. Usually their prices move in lockstep (each has insights into the other company's prices through email receipt intelligence, credit card intelligence, webscraping, etc.). And their services are fairly exchangeable. For either one to win there needs to be either a massive cost advantage or some sort of stickiness…

I would not call it comfortable since both are bleeding money every year. In addition, Waymo, Cruise etc. are all trying hard to put robot taxi's on the road. When that day comes, it will be interesting.

Waymo has robot taxis on the road already.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#264

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 5:13 PM UTC

macintux wrote: post #135

ham_sandwich wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, from the looks of it, they are well behind in self-driving tech. If it’s inevitable that self-driving will bankrupt them, why would anyone invest in them at all? The two scenarios I can see are 1). That their ride-matching platform will still play a role in a self-driving world. However, I think a worst case for Uber is Waymo gets there first and then Google can almost trivially replace Uber with their own match…

There's always the possibility of 3) No one achieves sustainable self-driving in the short to medium term.

[deleted]

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#265

Post by treis » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 5:40 PM UTC

astazangasta wrote: post #255

treis wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Maybe because I'm outside the unicorn bubble I can't see the magic, but I find something very warped about a business strategy that combines stratospheric valuation, intentional regulatory non-compliance, perpetual capital injections, service misrepresentation, and unprofessional corporate behavior... and results in massive financial losses year after year. >When I try to balance the elements, it frankly looks like…

Just like everything with Uber this is hooey. (3) does not appear to be true. https://www.thegeneralautoquotes.com/resources/uber-affectin... (2) may be true but only because Uber is subsidizing its expansion with a mountain of capital. It can't actually sustain the expanded driver pool, which also makes driving unliveable for individual drivers.

From your cite:

>Based on our main findings, along with the above summary of the general habits of people who use rideshare services, the data seems to suggest (emphasis on “seem”) that many rideshare customers are opting to hail a ride home after an evening at the bar or club, rather than risk driving intoxicated.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#266

Post by astazangasta » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:14 PM UTC

treis wrote: post #265

astazangasta wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just like everything with Uber this is hooey. (3) does not appear to be true. https://www.thegeneralautoquotes.com/resources/uber-affectin... (2) may be true but only because Uber is subsidizing its expansion with a mountain of capital. It can't actually sustain the expanded driver pool, which also makes driving unliveable for individual drivers.

From your cite: >Based on our main findings, along with the above summary of the general habits of people who use rideshare services, the data seems to suggest (emphasis on “seem”) that many rideshare customers are opting to hail a ride home after an evening at the bar or club, rather than risk driving intoxicated.

This is what people have historically done when they are drunk, it is not a new behavior invented by Uber.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#267

Post by treis » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:21 PM UTC

astazangasta wrote: post #266

treis wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From your cite: >Based on our main findings, along with the above summary of the general habits of people who use rideshare services, the data seems to suggest (emphasis on “seem”) that many rideshare customers are opting to hail a ride home after an evening at the bar or club, rather than risk driving intoxicated.

This is what people have historically done when they are drunk, it is not a new behavior invented by Uber.

It's not what people typically did because taxis were not generally available in most US cities. You couldn't rely on a taxi coming to pick you up at your home nor rely on one being there when you wanted to leave.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#268

Post by celticninja » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:43 PM UTC

maxxxxx wrote: post #149

celticninja wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a race to either profitability or the death of the opposition, at which point subsidies disappear and prices rise, so does Ubers cut of the fares.

They can't really raise prices because otherwise local taxi companies will start again.

once you knock out the current infrastructure it is hard for some one to reenter and compete. And in some locations they may lose but on the whole they would maintain 85%+ market share and set the prices. Local firms would know they are operating almost with permission of e.g. Uber, because Uber (or whoever wins) could set local prices lower to put the firm out of business again. This time however the subsidy would be by higher prices across the rest of their market.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#269

Post by astazangasta » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 7:20 PM UTC

treis wrote: post #267

astazangasta wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is what people have historically done when they are drunk, it is not a new behavior invented by Uber.

It's not what people typically did because taxis were not generally available in most US cities. You couldn't rely on a taxi coming to pick you up at your home nor rely on one being there when you wanted to leave.

Nevertheless there are other options, such as calling a friend, taking the bus, walking, etc. It's not clear that Uber resulted in people who would otherwise have been drunk drivers instead calling a cab. People who drunk drive presumably don't arrive at that choice because of a minor inconvenience.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#270

Post by fierro » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 7:28 PM UTC

sherlock_h wrote: post #105

fierro wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

don't discount the ability for either company to build that stickiness. They know this is important. Think credit cards, collaboration with last-mile transportation (Uber + Bird), discounts on restaurants, things of that nature. They can and are working towards building more of a brand ecosystem.

That's what they are both trying to do but I just don't see the big breakthrough there yet. Even Ridesharing + X (e.g. bikes or scooters) they are moving the same direction. really curious to see how this plays out – pretty exciting from a spectator perspective.

certainly exciting!