Uber’s Sandcastle

Uber’s Sandcastle
by Roger C. Lanctot on 05-13-2019 at 7:00 am

As Uber’s initial public offering arrives this is a good moment to consider what kind of employment model for the future we all, as employees and employers, would prefer to adopt: Amazon or Uber?

One of my sons has interviewed with Amazon. The other has his Amazon moment today. My across-the-street neighbor works for Amazon Web Services.… Read More


Which Way is Up for Lyft, Uber?

Which Way is Up for Lyft, Uber?
by Roger C. Lanctot on 04-07-2019 at 7:00 am

Lyft’s initial public offering was expected to be the biggest tech offering in two years. A public offering is very much like an elevator and everyone getting on the elevator wants to go up. It’s worth noting as the doors open on the Lyft IPO elevator, General Motors is likely to be getting off – and they are not alone.… Read More


Lyft Uber and Soylent Green

Lyft Uber and Soylent Green
by Roger C. Lanctot on 03-31-2019 at 10:00 am

23223 lyft uber soylent green

It wasn’t enough that Lyft and Uber introduced the world to the concept of taxi and limousine drivers committing suicide, we now have Lyft and Uber drivers committing suicide. In other words, it’s not enough that the business models of these companies are suicidal, they are actually visiting suicide upon their non-employees.… Read More


Lyft & Auto Industry Annihilation

Lyft & Auto Industry Annihilation
by Roger C. Lanctot on 03-31-2019 at 5:00 am

The good news is that Lyft’s initial public offering is over-subscribed, according to published reports. That also happens to be the bad news.

Like its disruptive corporate kin – Waymo, Uber, and Tesla Motors – Lyft is out to creatively destroy the automotive industry. In the process, the company is set on a course for its own annihilation… Read More


Connected Cars High Tech Low Demand

Connected Cars High Tech Low Demand
by Roger C. Lanctot on 11-04-2018 at 6:01 am

The latest reliability report from Consumer Reports which dumped on domestics and rained glory upon Asian imports highlighted a conundrum facing car makers. The more effort car makers put into innovation, the greater the risk of consumer confusion, system failure and lousy reliability scores.

The picture is even worse if one… Read More


Autonomous Vehicles: Tesla, Uber, Lyft, BMW, Intel and Mentor Graphics

Autonomous Vehicles: Tesla, Uber, Lyft, BMW, Intel and Mentor Graphics
by Daniel Payne on 04-19-2017 at 12:00 pm

I read at least one hour of news every day to keep informed, and I’ve read so many stories about autonomous vehicles that the same, familiar company names continue to dominate the thought leadership. What really caught my attention this month was an announcement about autonomous vehicle technology coming from Mentor GraphicsRead More


OEMs Lead the Way on Self Driving Tech

OEMs Lead the Way on Self Driving Tech
by Roger C. Lanctot on 02-25-2017 at 7:00 am

It’s never a good sign when car makers are called before Congress. It’s almost as bad as being asked to visit the President. But last week the meeting didn’t involve allegations or investigations. It was just an occasion for a friendly chat regarding “Self-Driving Cars: Road to Deployment.”

IEEE
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Uber: From Ride Hail to Blackmail

Uber: From Ride Hail to Blackmail
by Roger C. Lanctot on 11-24-2016 at 12:00 pm

The U.S. State of Maryland is in the midst of a confrontation with Uber over fingerprints. Maryland wants Uber (and Lyft) to collect the fingerprints of its drivers as part of its background check process. Uber does not want to do so and is threatening to leave the state.

In the run up to a Maryland Public Service Commission hearing … Read More


Ford Seeks Own Path to Car Sharing and IoT

Ford Seeks Own Path to Car Sharing and IoT
by Roger C. Lanctot on 11-10-2016 at 4:00 pm

It’s hard to be a thought leader around the future of transportation when the entire market seems to be moving in one of three directions simultaneously: either ride hailing (Uber, Lyft), car sharing (Zipcar, Car2go) or automated driving (Google, Tesla). If you’re Ford Motor Company and you care about whether you are adding to … Read More


The Virus of Car Ownership

The Virus of Car Ownership
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-23-2016 at 4:00 pm

What if we all looked at driving as less of a right and more of an addiction, a disability, or a disease to be avoided, cured or overcome? What if driving were seen as a menace to society draining lives, money and time from the economy? What would our public policy priorities become in this new context?

Sweden isn’t waiting to find… Read More