Disagree with @asymmetricinfo.
1) We didn’t run out of global software businesses: Slack, Stripe, Coinbase, Robinhood, etc
2) On-demand is working for Instacart and Doordash. Autonomy will improve margins over time.
3) Regarding Uber, see next tweet
1) We didn’t run out of global software businesses: Slack, Stripe, Coinbase, Robinhood, etc
2) On-demand is working for Instacart and Doordash. Autonomy will improve margins over time.
3) Regarding Uber, see next tweet
Uber was an absolutely phenomenal business, but it was hit by three things:
1) didn’t acquire Lyft
2) negative press
3) coronavirus
If 1/2 hadn’t happened, they may have run a low-margin scale business like Amazon.
But 3 broke much of the sharing economy, not just Uber.
1) didn’t acquire Lyft
2) negative press
3) coronavirus
If 1/2 hadn’t happened, they may have run a low-margin scale business like Amazon.
But 3 broke much of the sharing economy, not just Uber.
With respect to this piece, one point is that the anecdote @jbarro mentions was part of a demand test that Doordash was running.
On substantive issue, it’s true that delivery is low margin, but Amazon does fine with low margin/high scale.
nymag.com/intelligencer/…
On substantive issue, it’s true that delivery is low margin, but Amazon does fine with low margin/high scale.
nymag.com/intelligencer/…
In the medium term, on-demand everything will work because autonomous cars, drone delivery, sidewalk robots and the like are more hygienic in a pandemic.
So the labor productivity issue is addressed with tech.
See @binarybits’ article for some examples.
So the labor productivity issue is addressed with tech.
See @binarybits’ article for some examples.
The next q is: what about all the delivery workers?
This is now speculation, but I think over the 2020s we deploy VR headsets for games & then repurpose for immersive tele-operation.
If a man in Kansas can control a Predator drone over Kandahar, he can control a robot anywhere.
This is now speculation, but I think over the 2020s we deploy VR headsets for games & then repurpose for immersive tele-operation.
If a man in Kansas can control a Predator drone over Kandahar, he can control a robot anywhere.
Also: while robotic improvement to productivity could be a big deal on the delivery side of on-demand, we’re already seeing productivity improvements on the backend with cloud kitchens.
Basically, internet-age commissary kitchens built only for delivery. cloudkitchens.com
Basically, internet-age commissary kitchens built only for delivery. cloudkitchens.com
