Uber's Long Route To Profitability: Ebikes, That's The Ticket !!

Can't Stop Laughing.

Fans of the never-ending floor may retrieve the chronology of Uber's pivots position together past times a genius commenter at J. Bradford Delong's weblog dorsum inward early on 2017:

Uber's Master Plan, The Short Version

Readers who have got followed the FT's Izabella Kaminska, too to a lesser extent ourselves, on Uber  over the final iv years know the development of Uber's pitch. However, amid all opiners, this comment at Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality amongst Both Hands weblog is every bit succinct every bit it gets. I am envious.
(in our too Ms. Kaminska's defense, nosotros were doing it inward existent fourth dimension but still...)

HT upward forepart to Izabella's confrère Matthew Klein who's link fix the chain to naked capitalism too and then DeLong's commenter, Mr. Slee.

– Uber has a prissy trace concern every bit a condition production (Uber Black Car 2010)

– Uber Black may non survive profitable, but Uber volition give the sack taxis too survive hugely profitable because of technology-driven efficiencies (UberX: 2014-2015)

– UberX may non survive profitable, but UberPool volition Pb to novel efficiencies inward volume transit (2015-2016)

– UberX may non survive profitable, but Uber is a logistics society too volition rewrite the rules of delivery (UberEats, diverse speculative stories, 2013-2015)

– UberPool may non survive profitable, but when Uber displaces auto ownership the scale of the marketplace position volition brand it profitable (2016)

– Uber amongst drivers may non survive profitable, but driverless cars volition brand Uber profitable (2014-)

– Driverless cars may non survive profitable, but Uber is looking into flight vehicles (2016)

The Uber makes losses piece maintaining credibility for bringing “the future” inward some shape or other.

Sweet.
And but so you lot know, nosotros were on transcend of the flight vehicles:   
Uber to Challenge Airbus inward the Autonomous Electric Flying Taxi Business

As the exclusively analysts roofing the nascent as-yet-theoretical autonomous electrical flight taxi marketplace position nosotros intend to survive the the go-to rootage for all things autonomous electrical flight taxi and/or theoretical....

Here's the latest from SmartCitiesDive:

Uber CEO: Moving trace concern beyond ride-sharing is 'very valuable'

Dive Brief:

• Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi spoke to Shannon Bond at the Financial Times (FT) this calendar week most goals too achievements during 1 twelvemonth at the society therefore far, specifically most making the previously scandal-plagued society amend too to a greater extent than responsible. "The internal travel on civilisation remains incomplete. And the fact is that it’s going to have got years," Khosrowshahi told FT.
• Uber of late acquired dockless e-bike operator Jump, too Khosrowshahi aspires for similar option mobility ventures, including scooters too world transit, to brand Uber an overall transportation hub. "There’s a $6 trillion mobility market, too no 1 production is going to survive serving that whole market," he told FT. "The ultimate contest hither is auto ownership, too man child is that a large marketplace position to larn after." Khosrowshahi likewise announced Uber's long-term strategy involves a pregnant shift from cars to electrical bicycles too scooters for shorter trips, particularly inward urban areas.
• Despite Uber's much-publicized fatal autonomous vehicle (AV) accident before this year, Khosrowshahi plans to buy the farm along onward amongst exploring AVs. "In this trace concern things modify so fast that everything’s got to survive on the table," he told FT. "One of the nitty-gritty tenets of project design too making bold bets is likewise beingness willing to kill things that aren't working." Uber set off most 300 employees when it unopen downwards its AV airplane pilot inward Arizona afterwards the accident, too it laid off to a greater extent than this summer during a restructuring of the remaining AV computer program inward other locations.

Dive Insight: Uber experienced a $4.5 billion loss inward 2017 too however has non reached profitability, yet Khosrowshahi has received accolades for his efforts to plow some the company. He has openly addressed the company's previous missteps too vowed to practise better. The company's reputation had been tarnished amongst a serial of scandals, including sexual harassment too accusations of employee mistreatment, that led to the previous CEO's resignation. Although the company's problems are non all solved — particularly financially — the Uber of today overall appears differently inward Blue Planet optic than before Khosrowshahi arrived.

Uber too competitors similar Lyft have got reshaped the mobility infinite inward a brusk amount of time, so transportation experts closely picket for hereafter trace concern decisions that could similarly alter the mobility condition quo. One of those decisions some watch unique is the watch of diversification into option modes of transportation — not just intuitive for a car-based business. Khosrowshahi pointed out the society volition probable have got short-term fiscal hits for the shift inward focus....MORE

Some things never change.