

4 Years In – Uber raises 1.2B at 17B valuation - dpiers
http://blog.uber.com/4years

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dang
There is more discussion at
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7859084](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7859084),
so we'll call this one the dupe.

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vyrotek
I think what they're doing is great. But does anyone else feel like "job
creation" is a distracting data point? I can't help feel that companies like
Uber are really just positioning themselves early for the self-driving car
revolution that is coming. They will be in a very good position and heavily
incentivized to switch to a driverless model once the technology arrives.
Perhaps I'm premature in my expectations of how soon this will realistically
happen.

~~~
EduardoBautista
Even if they don't switch to that model, someone else will. Humans are a big
expense.

~~~
theklub
The thought of a fleet of driverless electric taxis is amazing.

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jnks
Technically they're raising at $18.2B or $18.4B in the typical sense of the
word "valuation" since the 17 is pre-money.

Also, as an investor in such a late round, there are likely multiple
provisions for getting your money back such that while a large investment, it
may not be particularly risky. Even if Uber crashes and burns and gets
acquired for only $3B, investors in this round probably still double their
money.

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lewisflude
They're making the world a better place.

