In the past year or so, Uber has been through some trials: resistant cab companies and drivers, new and crazy regulations, and customer complaints to name a few. Now they could face their biggest trial yet: one of their biggest investors!
It looks to be Uber vs Google in an upcoming taxi sharing struggle. Keep in mind Google invested over a quarter a billion dollars in Uber back in the summer of 2013. Now it seems Google is creating it’s own ride sharing service. According to an unnamed source, David Drummond, Google Vice-President of corporate development and CLO (chief legal officer), informed the Uber board this could happen. Also keep in mind Mr. Drummond is on Uber’s board of directors. The anonymous source believes Google employees are already testing a Google owned ride-sharing app. For a while, Google has worked diligently perfecting the self-driving car. ?Now, Uber is partnering with Carnegie Mellon University to work on robotics auto based technology, in hopes to one day build their own self-driving vehicle. But as far as the rumors of Google building their own ride sharing service, of course Uber leaders and employees are getting concerned.
This is for several reasons. One, Google is perhaps the most prosperous corporation today, if not all time. Their pockets are extremely deep, so is their talent/labor pool. So Uber knows if Google is really serious about putting their own ride-sharing app together, they can do it so quickly and so efficiently. Plus, Google was the company that helped build Uber. Now they want to compete against them? Maybe I’m reading this all wrong, but I pick up a sense of betrayal. Let’s say a two friends invest in your company. Your company goes on to be successful, ?despite controversy on all sides. One of your friends is on your board of directors. One day you find out your friends, who have way more money, power and talent than you, are competing against you, and sparing no expense to do it? Wouldn’t you feel betrayed? Or am I reading too much into this?