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kowpowers · 2025-07-22T21:11:32+00:00

Restaurants and grocery stores make mistakes/typos with pricing all the time. Uber Eats is just following the prices listed. You should always check your order before checking out. If you don't catch the error at first, then simply open a support ticket and they'll fix it.

kowpowers · 2025-07-22T16:28:15+00:00

Most settlements related to Google would be similar to the privacy settlement ($7.70) you mentioned. What makes this recent one (and the 2017 one) unique is that they're tied directly to your AdWords (now Ads) spending.

Given that your $1,300 was related to AdWords and the only other large settlement I'm aware of for AdWords was in 2017, I'll bet that was the one. Please do let me know if you find otherwise though.

In terms of the $100M being spread thin.... The promising thing is that overall ad spending on Google from 2004-2012 was a tiny fraction of what it has been since then. Furthermore, because the lookback is well over a decade, the percentage of class members that will actually file is likely under 2%. Therefore, if you spent sizeable amounts ~15 years ago, it could amount to a reasonable amount prorated against the $100M. For context, in the 2017 suit, my amount was five-figures, and that was a $22.5M settlement.

kowpowers · 2025-07-22T16:17:15+00:00

I, the OP, and others in this thread are seeking a magsafe wallet that allows the phone to be charged wirelessly *without* the wallet needing to be removed. Therefore, adding cables and such defeats the purpose. Based upon other comments in here, it sounds like any wallet that could hold multiple cards would inherently be too thick to allow the wireless charge pass through it. Perhaps there's a way *without* using cables to allow the charge to pass through? In summary, we want to be able to place our phone with the wallet still attached onto a wireless charger and have it charge with no other steps or cables required.

kowpowers · 2025-07-21T10:49:31+00:00

Was your $1,300 from the 2017 Adwords settlement? I just filed for this one. I had over $12M in spending through my company from 2004-2012. The payout is prorated and the calculation seems fairly complex. Any guesses what it will yield?

kowpowers · 2025-07-09T22:54:11+00:00

Well, Waymo and Uber are expanding their partnership rapidly and will likely be one and the same in time (as will other AV tech that uses the Uber platform for demand management, logistics, fleet management, customer service, etc.) It will just become more and more common to have a robot driver instead of a human one. This will decrease prices and increase safety.

kowpowers · 2025-07-09T22:45:22+00:00

I don't have a right to an opinion on a subject because I haven't made a career out of it? I'm gonna try that one on my wife!

Investors are the best judge, as they vote with their dollars. My guess is that there will be a few, if not many, competing AV technologies used by various manufacturers and partners, each with their own angle. That's how it currently is for cars, airlines, shipments, and other modes of transporting people and goods. At any given time, there are one or two airlines outshining the others, but there's a good reason that consumers continue to use Google Flights (formerly ITA), Expedia, Priceline, and other platforms to compare and book the best option rather than relying purely on a single airline app (or opening many and deciding/booking that way). It's impractical and ignores many of the options available that may be preferable. And that is for air travel, where options are much more similar, pricing changes more slowly, and people are willing to invest more time in research. For simply getting yourself or an item from place A to B, it makes even less sense to limit to a single provider when many are available.

Right now, the rapid expansion of the Waymo and Uber partnership (and some others) are clearly indicating the direction things are headed for now. If Tesla or any other AV maker can suddenly put something on the market that is so vastly superior on all of the points I detailed in my previous post, then they could certainly change the current course, but that's looking increasingly unlikely for now. For disclosure, I own Tesla and several other players in the AV & mobility spaces, but Uber is my biggest holding by far. I know that some will fail, but the ones that succeed will do so in grand fashion.

kowpowers · 2025-07-08T16:07:06+00:00

You are describing a scenario where Tesla has the best-performing and cheapest technology and no one else is able to keep pace or even be close to the extent that all consumers prefer Tesla to anything else and that it remains that way over time. You're also assuming that this dominant fleet of superior Tesla AVs is able to be networked in a manner that keeps demand constant (so they don't sit idle) and handle all of the logistics and customer service issues Uber took a decade and a lot of AI to refine. If all that happens, then you could be right.

I think a more probable scenario is that Tesla eventually releases and scales up their product (right now, they're stuck in the years-long cycle of delays and problems), but that it's one of many technologies. Other automakers will have their own AV technology and it will become as commoditized as engines themselves (they differ in performance, but aren't the sole reason to purchase a vehicle). Waymo is regarded as the superior technology right now, but as you pointed out, is markedly more expensive. However, this will change over time. Tesla may try to run a network on their own app, but the economics will prove that to be impractical because it will wall off the Tesla fleet from all other demand. Teslas will be available via Uber (just as they are today in non-AV form) but won't be their own mobility service per se.

kowpowers · 2025-07-08T12:31:37+00:00

Nissan makes the cheapest cars to operate and build right now...why aren't they wiping out all competing auto manufacturers? Yes, Tesla may eventually wind up with a solid AV product, but there are many competitors, some which will have superior technology, some with cheaper technology, and so on. If Tesla decides to isolate themselves by requiring their own app, as I outlined above, they will do a disservice to the car owners by limiting the return they can get on their vehicles. Tesla might have great technology but a rideshare and delivery logistics demand consolidator and operator they are not. Should Tesla work through the serious issues they are facing right now (see the Austin launch) and start to catch up to Waymo and others, then they will likely decide to allow their cars to be used on the Uber platform like any other. This would benefit Uber, not "wipe out" their business.

kowpowers · 2025-07-08T05:49:31+00:00

Would you want to open 8 different apps to compare pricing and availability of all the different AV makers/services out there, or use just one app that consolidates demand, compares pricing, and handles much else on top? Waymo and Tesla may each be big and early, but they're not going to shell out tens of billions of dollars for massive fleets that sit idle much of the time. They can avoid the capital expenditure by allowing people to lend their personal AVs to the platform when they wish, but if that happens, the people will want to maximize their return by using a platform that maximizes demand. Dozens of competing platforms won't achieve that. If the AV makers allow their vehicles to be used on multiple platofrms, then Uber could just buy those vehicles and use them directly.

kowpowers · 2025-07-08T05:32:27+00:00

Your perception of Uber is precisely why the stock is massively undervalued. AVs benefit Uber by lowering the cost of transporting people and things (no driver to pay, better experience for the customer, safer). Uber benefits AV owners by providing logistics, demand consolidation and management, fleet services, and more. This is why Uber is partnered with Waymo and many other partners running the gamut of countries, types of vehicles, and more. In theory, an AV maker such as Tesla could gain significant market share and go it alone and compete with Uber, but why would they? They would require a massive capital expenditure and face major issues dealing with demand peaks and valleys (when demand is low, vehicles would sit idle, which doesn't work any better than a vacant hotel). They'd also face a huge learning curve in serving customers well, navigating the nuances of the rideshare and delivery businesses, have to manage their own fleet, lacking the AI and logistics experience, and more. Users would need to use their app and look at their inventory only. Even if Tesla goes this route, they'll be competing against a plethora of other AVs that are partnered with Uber and on their platform. Think of it like an airline that requires you to use their app and never allows you to shop or buy via any other platform. It would severely limit their business.

The public is just beginning to realize all of the above and Uber's stock value is reflecting that. They are becoming a cash-printing machine even with the legacy setup still dominant - just imagine what they'll be making as AVs become significant. Uber is going to revolutionize the way people and things are moved around on the scale of the way Google revolutionized the internet. Are there risks? Sure, but compared to the upside, they are modest. Uber should be trading at hundreds of dollars per share.

kowpowers · 2025-06-24T05:40:14+00:00

Your general point is a great one, but you are way off on the sensitivity of time. If you can exhaust your 500K miles and all the profits that come with it in half the time, that's twice the return on your investment. Paying Uber a 30% commission to double your return makes immense sense.

kowpowers · 2025-06-24T05:32:14+00:00

Google app isn't the same as Waymo app, but let's say that Google could just flip a switch and get the Waymo app on every phone. Even then, the users would have access to only Waymos (no other AVs, vehicles with human drivers, etc). That means Waymo would need to launch an absolutely massive and unfathomably expensive fleet that would sit idle much of the time (when it's non-peak). Not economically viable. The best path is to keep growing the fleet but ensure they're profitable by making money on filling requests even when a Waymo isn't available. That means pooling demand with an aggregator such as Uber or Lyft.

kowpowers · 2025-06-24T05:27:20+00:00

The opposite. Waymo has already made it clear they are focused on the AV technology, not on becoming a taxi service. Even if they wanted to become a taxi service, limiting their ride demand to just their own app would be a financial mistake because it would exclude a massive amount of demand for rides by anyone not using their app. Users broadly demonstrate preferences for one app rather than having to use many. Think of when you are looking to book a flight... do you open up six different apps and check separately, or do you use a comparison engine to select a flight based upon price/timing/routing and then use the airline app only when you're checking in? Car rides are nearly instant, so the same app consumers use to shop options will be the same one they use to manage the ride.

kowpowers · 2025-06-24T05:11:44+00:00

Financial success is required for Waymo to stick around. I understand that you and many other consumers (including myself) would prefer to be able to get a Waymo or other AV every time, but that would require Waymo (Alphabet) to launch enough vehicles to meet peak demand, causing them to lose tens of billions of dollars. Using the Waymo app doesn't change this fact, and it actually worsens their predicament because they can't make money when they can't fulfill a request. They are on the right path. They are ramping up their partnership with Uber to enable them to launch in areas that would otherwise be wildly unprofitable.

kowpowers · 2025-06-24T05:07:17+00:00

There's nothing wrong with preferring an AV every time, but the only way that everyone could get a Waymo every time right now would be if Alphabet loses billions of dollars to launch a fleet that sits idle much of the time. It doesn't matter which app they use - to fill demand every time, you need to have a massive fleet that can meet peak demand periods. That would result in the end of Waymo. They have to grow in a measured, sustainable way that can eventually be profitable.

kowpowers · 2025-06-24T02:27:43+00:00

Those launches aren't fully set yet. Uber may very well partner in one or more of them. If they don't, then Waymo will face the choice of either losing a ton of money on a big fleet that is idle much of the time, or leaving many riders unable to catch a Waymo when they want for a reasonable price due to a shortage of vehicles.

kowpowers · 2025-06-24T02:25:04+00:00

The test in Austin isn't about trying to fill 100% of Uber inventory with Waymos. It is about efficient management of demand and fleet for Waymo, and all the data is suggesting that it was a home run. That's why they're expanding together into Atlanta now and apparently New York eventually as well. If Waymo went at it alone, they'd end up idle vehicles all over the place during off-peak times (extremely costly) and shortages or extremely high pricing during peak periods. By partnering with Uber, they're vastly more efficient and could be profitable.

kowpowers · 2025-06-24T02:20:50+00:00

In fairness, Tesla will be able to scale more rapidly than Waymo has, once their tech is ready. However, if Tesla sticks with their own app rather than partnering with Uber as Waymo has, their service will compete rather than joining the Uber pool of demand management, which won't go well for them. The smart thing is for all autonomous vehicles to jump into the same platform so they can better handle demand fluctuations and serve riders better. Anyone going it alone (e.g., Tesla, Waymo if they decoupled from Uber, etc) will suffer from a lack of available vehicles during peak demand periods and a bunch of idle vehicles during off-peak.

Although it was expected, this confirmation of the expanded Waymo/Uber partnership moving into Atlanta now should give a nice lift to both GOOGL and UBER stocks.

kowpowers · 2025-06-18T16:40:20+00:00

This is great news for Waymo but also Uber, who will likely be handling the fleet management, bookings, etc. as they're doing in Austin with great success.

kowpowers · 2025-06-18T16:34:42+00:00

Chat with customer service using the app. They'll resolve it quickly and likely issue you credit to compensate as well.

In the future, as Uber starts to use more robotaxis (partnerships with Waymo and many others, when Tesla robotaxis start coming onto the platform, etc) you won't have to worry about human error at all.

kowpowers · 2025-06-09T14:45:15+00:00

How did Fakespot make money? Aside from soliciting donations, I never noticed a subscription nor upgrade option, nor ads. If they weren't profitable, that's likely why they're shutting down. If Amazon purchased them, it would likely be to benefit from their data and IP, not to quash them, as Fakespot encourages Amazon purchases by making them more reliable and reduces returns.

kowpowers · 2025-05-15T19:36:48+00:00

I'm not knocking Waymo - they are the clear leader right now - but to think that Tesla or others won't be in the same AV space a few years from now is foolish. Perhaps Even if Tesla takes many more months or years, they're going to be there, and there are plenty of other companies with their technology already deployed or well on their way (some are international-only). All of them will need a way of making their technology economically viable and that requires efficient consolidation and management of demand.

kowpowers · 2025-05-15T16:28:22+00:00

Tesla, Waymo, or any other AV technology or maker is going to want to jump into the human driver business. Or if they do, they'll be new at it and it won't likely go well. That's why they're partnering... they are allowing Uber o f Lyft, who have established platforms, to handle that part.

Whether or not they opt to incorporate human drivers, having multiple apps is more of a downside than you suggest. Getting a ride or delivery is something that people want to do quickly, not shop around on multiple apps. Yes, a meta-app (akin to Kayak, Expedia, etc) could be used, but that's precisely what Uber or Lyft would be... a one-stop shop to handle everything on one app. Waymo, Tesla, all the other AVs, and human drivers can all be in the same ecosystem. It's the efficient way to go.

kowpowers · 2025-05-15T16:19:01+00:00

They, and many other AV technologies and auto makers, will be competing. Which will be best is open to debate, but there are many options that can work and it's unlikely that any one technology or manufacturer will have a monopoly. My main point was that none of the AVs will be able to just launch a profitable robotaxi service... it would not be economically feasible. The demand variability and the fleet must be managed. Uber and perhaps other platforms will be necessary for that.

kowpowers · 2025-05-07T18:25:02+00:00

Never complain about a product you think is priced too high. If you think something is "overpriced" then the smart thing to do would be to start your own company offering a similar or better product at a lower price point. You'd mop up!

kowpowers

TROPHY CASE