RIDEGURU
Many said it was suicide for Uber to take on Google and other gigantic car manufacturers. Uber saw itself as a "technology" company, invested a lot into their AV unit, and tried to take on the manufacturing. With the fatal accident and the media backlash they received, no one was sure of its fate. Then the investors started complaining how they need to stop hemorrhaging money on this AV unit. Then hthis article comes out:
https://ride.guru/lounge/p/can-a-toyota-deal-save-ubers-robotaxi-dreams-and-ceos-ipo-hopes-forbes
Smart move?
Comments
This is but a small investment for a company like Toyota, and potentially opens the door for huge sales to Uber.
Uber has what, 200,000 drivers? If self driving cars were to even remotely become reality, Uber would need to purchase tens of thousands of vehicles every year. If Uber fails miserably to get their self driving cars operating, then Toyota may have positioned themselves to acquire that "technology" and adopt/adapt/compete with their own self driving tech. What is a $500 Million investment when considering the overall potential sales?