Uber's product chief Sachin Kansal has been spilling some juicy secrets about the company's plans for scaling beyond travel and ride-hailing dominance. In a conversation with TechCrunch, Kansal outlined the financial-services ambitions that Uber is exploring, including expanding into areas such as insurance and banking.
Kansal noted that Uber's new financial-services initiatives are starting to gain traction, but also acknowledged that it faces intense competition from rival companies like Robinhood and Fintech. Despite this, the company remains committed to investing in its financial-products offerings, which aim to provide a more comprehensive suite of services for both riders and passengers.
In addition to its financial-services ambitions, Kansal touched on the increasingly complicated relationship between Uber and Waymo. The two companies have been competing aggressively for market share, with Waymo's self-driving car technology vying directly against Uber's own AV (autonomous vehicle) efforts. However, despite these challenges, Kansal remained optimistic about the potential benefits of a partnership between the two companies. As for AI, Kansal hinted that it will start to show up in ways that riders and drivers will actually notice, from improved navigation systems to enhanced safety features.