Whenever automated transportation becomes feasible, which is on the order of 5-10 years, a good chunk of a multi-trillion dollar market will go to the few players ready to capture it. At this point, Uber is arguably the most promising bet: tons of data, name recognition, long-term vision, talent, and on-point execution. Not to say they can't miss the mark still, but the market size for transportation of people and goods is gigantic, and Uber is dead set on basically being the One to take it all. I can see why it'd be an appealing investment.
I've been a loyal Uber user from their second month of existence but if Google offered me the same service for 10% less I would switch. I think this turns into a profitable but lower margin business than people think.
