Google, Driverless Cars and the “Gooberification” of Everything

The last platform frontier for Google is a services marketplace, where uber-startups Uber and Airbnb reign supreme. Uber recently made headlines when it unveiled a partnership with Carnegie Mellon University to fund research for autonomous cars and proprietary mapping technology. This announcement could turn the formerly cozy Google and Uber relationship into full-blown competition. If Uber’s investment in Carnegie Mellon pays off, it would allow the company to be less dependent on Google Maps and to directly compete with Google’s autonomous car program.