Uber's product chief on hotels, robotaxis, and why the company doesn't want to be 'everything for everyone'
Uber is expanding beyond ride-hailing and delivery into hotels, boat rentals, and shopping, while advancing autonomous vehicles and AI features. Chief Product Officer Sachin Kansal explains that Uber aims to focus on travel and partnerships rather than becoming a super app.
Uber has quietly expanded beyond its core businesses of ride-hailing and food delivery. The app now includes hotel bookings via Expedia, a 'shop for me' concierge feature, and boat rentals in Europe. Chief Product Officer Sachin Kansal says travel is the third pillar after rides and eats, noting that 1.5 billion trips per year occur outside users' home cities.
In financial services, Uber offers the Pro card for drivers and couriers and is experimenting with merchant products. Consumers can use Uber credits linked to the membership program. Kansal emphasizes that Uber is not trying to be 'everything for everyone,' so new services like boat rentals hand off payments to partners.
On autonomous vehicles, Uber has launched AV Labs, equipping hundreds of cars with sensors to collect millions of miles of driving data. This helps partners like Waymo address edge cases. Kansal says Uber is not aiming to become an L4 autonomy provider but rather to build a hybrid network of human and autonomous vehicles.
AI features include an earner assistant that suggests where to drive for higher demand, a grocery cart assistant, and voice requests for rides. Kansal predicts a future AI agent that can plan and book entire trips, though no timeline is set.
Kansal says he spends 70-80% of his time on existing products and 20% on new ideas. He personally drives and delivers to understand the user experience firsthand.
