The saga has all the components of a furtive exchange of information gathering tactics at the pinnacle of the cold war and with very little direct human interface. The Machiavellian allocation of subversive tactics, ranging from full out attacks to the actual defection of a brilliant engineer, has led Uber to the epicenter of an intrepid epidemic of corporate espionage with countless billions of dollars hanging in the balance.
Allegations are swarming with the angry traits of genetically modified killer bees, as to questionable business intelligence gathering practices employed by the ride sharing giant in attempting to closely monitor chief competitor Lyft, ABC News reports. While Uber was stung repeatedly from the ramifications of a former Waymo engineer allegedly stealing proprietary information from Google’s self-driving car venture and founding a start-up which was ultimately purchased by the transportation behemoth, has since endured a lengthy and arduous legal process which may culminate in a separate federal investigation. The ultimate prize in the future of the modern transportation game is cornering the self-driving car marketplace.
The news on Friday for the Silicone Valley company was dim and only convolutes the prospect of future growth and stability, as apparently a probe has been implemented by the justice department in determining if the efforts of Uber to obtain data on Lyft crossed any legal bounds. The company has undergone tumultuous changes in leadership this year due to the constant bombardment of lawsuits and injunctions. Multiple sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the possible misuse of software in potentially gaining a competitive advantage is at the crux of the investigation.
While the obvious detriment to the future of ride sharing is represented by concerns in regards to liability insurance, the questionable licensing of employees and the obvious flawed corporate policy in disallowing drivers from carrying firearms for the purpose of self-defense, the back and forth volley with Lyft is a mere backdrop to a pervading business model that is clearly taking advantage of the current transportation infrastructure. The simple answer to this nonsense is put away the smartphone and employ the traditional securities afforded by a cab or limo company. Unfortunately, the ride share experience of partial coverage and complete vulnerability is trendy, if not trending.
Read the ABC News article here.
