I really don't think this view holds any merit. I can't possibly see how this would be Uber's strategy.
Assume that in year 20XX, when autonomous cars finally become a thing, there are two companies. Uber, which has accumulated $X billion in debt while growing it's driver network, and brand new company NewAutonomousCompany, with no debt.
What possible advantages does Uber have in that situation that makes that debt worthwhile? It will have some software and the fact that users already downloaded an app - but will that really be worth the subsidies?
> It will have some software and the fact that users already downloaded an app - but will that really be worth the subsidies?
Uber has one more thing that they're funneling piles of money into - a self-driving vehicles department. They'll have a significant advantage if they're the first to "market" with fully autonomous self-driving vehicles. Right now it's a huge money sink, but research often is.
I'd disagree on the subject of 'map data': Open Street Map is a good example of free, open map data.
Whatever map data Uber/Lyft started with (and have perhaps since augmented with proprietary GPS data supplied by their apps), is it enough of a competitive advantage?
Assume that in year 20XX, when autonomous cars finally become a thing, there are two companies. Uber, which has accumulated $X billion in debt while growing it's driver network, and brand new company NewAutonomousCompany, with no debt.
What possible advantages does Uber have in that situation that makes that debt worthwhile? It will have some software and the fact that users already downloaded an app - but will that really be worth the subsidies?