Uber is active pretty much everywhere. They're truly aiming to corner the entire global transport market. They're putting in $1B in India alone.
When the dust is settled, you're going to get a company that controls the private transport industry in an area that stretches from San Francisco to Kolkata
For an industry that was once dominated by small local players, this is truly mind blowing.
I don't think there is a single startup that is as obsessed with aggressive growth as Uber
> When the dust is settled, you're going to get a company that controls the private transport industry in an area that stretches from San Francisco to Kolkata
But is their money buying control of anything? They are not buying control over a resource, like "all the tin mines in China" or something. Is it just spend on market creation that a fast follower can piggy back on for free?
They're spending an awful lot for control of a market that is expected to disappear within a few years when self driving cars mature.
Of course, they are aware of it and are investing in being a leader in that market - but they're fighting with global giants over there, not the local Taxi outfits.
If anything, I could see Uber being one of the first adopters of self-driving cars when they're ready. They're already investing in it heavily, hiring away 40 robotics researchers from CMU to focus on it. [1] They want to corner the market, get everyone using Uber, and then eventually make the change to self-driving vehicles when they're ready.
When the dust is settled, you're going to get a company that controls the private transport industry in an area that stretches from San Francisco to Kolkata
For an industry that was once dominated by small local players, this is truly mind blowing.
I don't think there is a single startup that is as obsessed with aggressive growth as Uber