Microsoft could see an opportunity to poke Google in the eye with Uber investment
Microsoft
Bloomberg separately reported that Microsoft is "considering" the investment.
It's odd that Microsoft would make such a big late-stage investment in a company like Uber, which falls well outside of its recent focus on user productivity.
But with the growing split between Uber and Google, Microsoft might see an opportunity to swoop in and have a presence in the growing on-demand market - and all the data being generated by millions of users taking millions of rides.
Google Ventures, the startup financing arm of the search advertising giant, invested $250 million in Uber in 2013. But in recent months, the two companies have become competitors, with Uber recruiting Carnegie Mellon's artificial intelligence labs as it looks to build its own fleet of self-driving cars to compete with Google's.
Uber and Microsoft have also teamed up before: Uber presented at Microsoft's recent Build conference, where it showed off an integration with Outlook that would let you hail a cab to your next appointment straight from the calendar. Meanwhile, in June, Uber acquired Microsoft's Bing Maps street mapping technology and hired 100 of its workers.
Uber is also collecting a lot of data on things like traffic flow around cities, and there might be tie-ins with Microsoft's data analytics products and services there.
Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment.
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
- One of the world's only 5-star airlines seems to be considering asking business-class passengers to bring their own cutlery
- From terrace to table: 8 Edible plants you can grow in your home
- India fourth largest military spender globally in 2023: SIPRI report
- New study forecasts high chance of record-breaking heat and humidity in India in the coming months
- Gold plunges ₹1,450 to ₹72,200, silver prices dive by ₹2,300
- Strong domestic demand supporting India's growth: Morgan Stanley