Source: TechCrunch
Summary
Uber’s Chief Product Officer Sachin Kansal discussed the company’s plans for financial services, its relationship with Waymo, and the launch of AV Labs, a new data operation. Kansal also mentioned the increasing role of AI in the company’s services, which will be noticeable to riders and drivers. The company aims to expand its financial services, including Uber Money and Uber Wallet.
Our Reading
The launch follows a familiar script.
Uber is rebranding its existing services as “financial services ambitions”. The company is also launching AV Labs, because what’s new without a fancy lab? AI is being touted as a game-changer, but we’ve heard that before. Uber’s relationship with Waymo is getting complicated, because that’s what happens when you’re trying to be friends with your competitor. The company is also trying to make its services more noticeable to riders and drivers, because subtle is overrated.
Original observation: Because what Uber really needed was more ways to collect your financial data.
