> With much of the sexual impropriety stories at Uber, is it really a good PR move for Google to go ahead with such acquisition?
Maybe; the problem is an HR/management one, which an acquisition in which upper management and HR are largely replaced and lower management is scrutinized under a microscope could probably resolve quickly to prevent any ongoing issues, and not keeping the Uber name in use would deal with most of the public image issues.
It's not just a problem of upper management and HR. It sounds to me like a rotten culture from the bottom up. This is not the case at Alphabet (so far as I know), so what happens when a clash of cultures hits? Usually, people that can't adapt are fired or marginalized until replaced. In such a case, is the purchase of Uber worth it or necessary?
> In such a case, is the purchase of Uber worth it or necessary?
The platform and existing customer and (at least in the transitional phase) driver relationships are not without value, and there's probably IP value as well (and, if they've really built on stuff stolen from or encumbered I by patents owned
by Google, it's potentially uniquely valuable to Google, compared to other buyers.)
So, I mean, even an “acquifire” where none of the actual people employed by Uber are retained might be worthwhile, at the right price.
Maybe; the problem is an HR/management one, which an acquisition in which upper management and HR are largely replaced and lower management is scrutinized under a microscope could probably resolve quickly to prevent any ongoing issues, and not keeping the Uber name in use would deal with most of the public image issues.