Uber has received another round of funding. This time it came from Microsoft and while it might seem like a strange marriage of investment, the bottom line is that it makes Uber the most valuable startup on the market right now. Uber has had its share of bad press though in recent months, as several rounds of litigation are set to begin in court on various issues. However, this latest news is exciting for Uber and shows that they do have some teeth left in the industry.
There have been a million theories floating around, as to why Microsoft would be investing money into Uber. They have ranged from the notion that Microsoft might be trying to stick it to Google, and collect some data on users who travel – given the fact that Microsoft does still have an interest in mapping to some degree. As well as the notion that this could be a ploy to bring more attention to Windows Phone. The idea would be that by improving the overall function of the Windows Phone, and bringing more focus to the Windows platform, which could use some additional energy.
One thing for sure is that Microsoft has been focusing a lot on productivity, and as lot of people have pointed out – this definitely falls outside the company’s recent purview. Oddly enough though, this might have more to do with Uber than it does Google, with regards to Microsoft. It has been widely reported that Uber views itself as a direct competitor with Google. This partnership is an opportunity for Microsoft and Uber to take a jab at Google, in both the rideshare space, as well as the data collection space.
http://www.thehoopsnews.com/2015/08/01/7164/u-s-paychecks-struggle-but-should-we-be-surprised/
The latest round of investing closed at north of $1 billion and was a major step in the right direction for Uber. The startup has been desperate for some positive news coming from the business, and this might be the biggest shot of energy into its arm that it has received in some time. At this point though, it remains to be seen what the next few months will look like now that this much energy and time has been invested in Uber by Microsoft.
What will it mean for Microsoft? What will it mean for Uber? These are two very valid questions that remain to be answered, and probably will not yield any immediate answers in the coming weeks.
