Google launches Uber rival RideWith • Hacker News Board

Re: Google launches Uber rival RideWith

#51

Post by kevin_thibedeau » Mon, Jul 06, 2015, 3:07 PM UTC

dylanjermiah wrote: post #23

emergentcypher wrote: post #21

Even if this isn't quite an uber rival, this is ultimately Uber's problem. All they are is an app with some marketing, and anyone with a bit of money can easily come up with a competing app.

>All they are is an app with some marketing, and anyone with a bit of money can easily come up with a competing app. I think I'll let your first statement stand, but in regards to the second. Uber has raised $5.9bn dollars, is doing ~2m rides per day, is in 300+ cities -- sure you can create a competing app, but the chances of meaningfulness are small if non existent.

The difference is that carpooling is legal. What Uber and Lyft are doing is not in most markets.

Re: Google launches Uber rival RideWith

#52

Post by minthd » Mon, Jul 06, 2015, 3:09 PM UTC

onion2k wrote: post #37

minthd wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But why doesn't Apple doesn't try to create an UBER ?

For the same reason they don't make washing machines, or sell apples, or build houses - they believe their money is better spent on other things. Apple think they'll make more money in the long term innovating on consumer electronics. That said, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see an Apple car within 5 years of the first autonomous vehicles going on public sale.

Maybe we'll see an Apple car. But i suspect in general ,that self-driving cars and especially taxis would push the car market to derive much less value from branding and marketing and much more value from hardcore technology with design being much less a differentiator than today - at least for the mass market.

But even if Apple sells cars to 5% of the population , it could be a big business for them.

Re: Google launches Uber rival RideWith

#53

Post by tdaltonc » Mon, Jul 06, 2015, 3:10 PM UTC

The premise behind uber's valuation is that they could own the marketplace for transportation. But what if the market is not monopolizable? If users (drivers and riders) can costlessly participate in multiple transportation markets, then it's impossible to form a monopoly. Users will just frictionlessly move to the cheapest market. I operate in multiple of these markets (check all of the apps before committing to a ride) and I know that many drivers do too (lyft on this phone, uber on that phone, etc). So shouldn't this monopoly unravel to the point that all of the transportation markets aren't able to capture any value from the transaction?

Re: Google launches Uber rival RideWith

#54

Post by tdaltonc » Mon, Jul 06, 2015, 3:10 PM UTC

The premise behind uber's valuation is that they could own the marketplace for transportation. But what if the market is not monopolizable? If users (drivers and riders) can costlessly participate in multiple transportation markets, then it's impossible to form a monopoly. Users will just frictionlessly move to the cheapest market. I operate in multiple of these markets (check all of the apps before committing to a ride) and I know that many drivers do too (lyft on this phone, uber on that phone, etc). So shouldn't this monopoly unravel to the point that all of the transportation markets aren't able to capture any value from the transaction?

Re: Google launches Uber rival RideWith

#55

Post by dpflan » Mon, Jul 06, 2015, 3:10 PM UTC

Forgive if I am misunderstanding, but Google Ventures invested in Uber, not Google itself. Wouldn't this statement from the article be half incorrect: "This puts Google squarely in competition with Uber, which is both an investment and customer of its Google Maps product."

1. https://www.gv.com/about 2. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/uber/funding-rounds

Re: Google launches Uber rival RideWith

#56

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Jul 06, 2015, 3:10 PM UTC

adevine wrote: post #45

stephengillie wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd hardly call it an Uber rival Isn't this what Lyft does? I'm guessing Uber put some money in a reporter's pocket to submarine them in this article instead.

Lyft certainly lets you take more that 2 drives per day, and certainly not just too and from work. Also, at least in some locales Lyft has gotten rid of the "donation" fiction as many local laws explicitly state that any type of payment counts as a ride-for-hire. This is basically just a carpooling app, and is nowhere near a rival to Uber or Lyft.

[deleted]

Re: Google launches Uber rival RideWith

#57

Post by tdaltonc » Mon, Jul 06, 2015, 3:13 PM UTC

dpflan wrote: post #55

Forgive if I am misunderstanding, but Google Ventures invested in Uber, not Google itself. Wouldn't this statement from the article be half incorrect: "This puts Google squarely in competition with Uber, which is both an investment and customer of its Google Maps product." 1. https://www.gv.com/about 2. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/uber/funding-rounds

You are, of course, correct, but is that a distinction that matters?

Re: Google launches Uber rival RideWith

#58

Post by paulhauggis » Mon, Jul 06, 2015, 3:15 PM UTC

freehunter wrote: post #50

zenonu wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most "Wazers" actually do not want the Waze brand or its app to be diluted.

Most people don't want anything they like to be diluted or changed. People on HN don't want people from Reddit. People from Reddit don't want people from Facebook. People from Facebook don't want their parents. People in a gated community don't want poor people moving into their neighborhood. People in the city don't want rich folks moving in and gentrifying their block. People, in general, are xenophobic and like th…

"People, in general, are xenophobic and like their culture to stay small and untainted."

The problem is that when anybody and everyone comes into the community and you don't have some sort of filter, it turns to shit.

Re: Google launches Uber rival RideWith

#59

Post by Zigurd » Mon, Jul 06, 2015, 3:15 PM UTC

tdaltonc wrote: post #53

The premise behind uber's valuation is that they could own the marketplace for transportation. But what if the market is not monopolizable? If users (drivers and riders) can costlessly participate in multiple transportation markets, then it's impossible to form a monopoly. Users will just frictionlessly move to the cheapest market. I operate in multiple of these markets (check all of the apps before committing to a r…

Uber's valuation is also based on the perception that Uber can outgun the competition technologically and in global expansion. Uber might face more or less frictionless competition from regional rivals, like Lyft, but will have some durable advantages.

Google is a different kind of competitor.

Re: Google launches Uber rival RideWith

#60

Post by krebby » Mon, Jul 06, 2015, 3:19 PM UTC

dfar1 wrote: post #24

I had no idea Waze was acquired by google. I wish they would just combine the best of waze with the best of google maps into one app that just works.

Google Maps already uses some data from Waze (like route closures and accidents) though I really wish the Waze directions were fixed to match Google Maps. A combined app (or at least more unified set of two apps) would be amazing.