Uber – Google rift a look back
Google and Uber's entanglements span the last couple of years and across multiple sources. The spat between the tech giant and the transportation giant has the potential to blow up in any direction, so here are the facts.
Google led the third wave Series C investment of Uber: GV, formerly known as Google Ventures, was part of the $258 million investment in August 2013, pushing Uber's valuation to $3.5 billion. David Drummond, senior VP of corporate development at Alphabet, Google's parent company, took a seat on the board of Uber. This is a messy situation, because soon after, both Google and Uber went into the development of autonomous cars, leading to a heated race filled with instances of Uber poaching top Google employees.
Uber currently uses Google Maps for navigation, as do users of the app. In 2016, it was reported that Uber would be investing around $500 million into developing their own mapping with the goal of reducing dependence on Google Maps. They also brought in Manik Gupta, a former Google Maps executive, to oversee those efforts.
Most recently, in January, Uber hired Google's former head of Search, Amit Singhal, to work on engineering the software infrastructure for the ride hailing app. He'll also lead Uber's mapping efforts.
Considering Uber's tendency to divert Google's top talent away from the giant and how they're going head to head in the race for vehicular autonomy, it's no surprise they're not friends – question is, how far will they go?
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