Uber looks to lead way in self-driving cars
Ride-sharing company’s deal with university fuels reports of a rivalry with Google
The race to create a self-driving taxi might become a fight.
Uber announced a partnership with Carnegie Mellon University this week to create the Uber Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh, which will work on autonomous cars, mapping technology and other vehicle safety technologies.
And one published report says that Google — which has been working on self-driving cars — might be prepping a ridesharing service.
Bloomberg Business reported that Google employees have been testing a ride-sharing app on campus, and also that a high-ranking Google executive may have to relinquish a seat on Uber’s board because of the launch of a rival service.
The companies are already tied to each other, as Google Ventures, the company’s venture capital arm, invested $258 million (U.S.) in Uber in August 2013 and installed David Drummond, Google’s chief legal officer and senior vice-president of corporate development, on the ridesharing’s company’s board. Bloomberg reports an unnamed source saying that due to Google’s plans to start a rival service, Drummond may be asked to leave that position.
Google and Uber have not commented on the speculation, except for a cryptic tweet from Google’s official account that said, “We think you’ll find Uber and Lyft work quite well. We use them all the time.”
As well, other outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, have downplayed the reports, with many saying Google’s ride-sharing app is simply a tool that helps employees carpool.
Despite recent technological progress, self-driving cars are still years, if not decades, away from being effective for such a service.
There are also several regulatory issues. Uber is known for its highprofile fights with incumbent taxi companies worldwide, and has reportedly engaged in questionable business practices versus its rivals. But its partnership with Carnegie Mellon is definitely a move to hedge its bets for a driverless future.
“You have to be bold and planting seeds for many years into the future. If you’re going to have a future business, you have to build it,” Jeff Holden, Uber’s chief product officer, told website Recode.
“There’s technologies we can use more near-term like mapping technologies that feed directly into the core business and help the way we route people around cities — and way in the future there’s the expectation that autonomy will get to the point that cars can drive themselves, which is way, way down the road. It’s moving now, because if you don’t move now, when the future arrives it’s too late.”