Uber向生活方式品牌转型

    如果问特拉维斯•卡兰尼克，Uber的未来在哪里，他会告诉你这家公司的品牌已经超越了它最初的定位。“如今，我们经营的是租车业务，”卡兰尼克在今年的科技头脑风暴大会（Brainstorm Tech conference）上说。自一年半以前《财富》杂志（Fortune）对卡拉尼亚进行报道以来，尽管Uber在华盛顿哥伦比亚特区和纽约这些地方受到了监管阻挠，但它已经快速扩张到了许多新的市场。

    但这位接连创办多家企业的创业家（他曾经在在21世纪初创办过一些新创公司，如文件分享服务公司Red Swoosh）还指出，Uber已经开始、而且还将继续涉足其他领域。上周五，Uber和冰淇淋车业主合作，在33个城市进行了甜品点单送货服务；今年情人节，它还提供了玫瑰花递送服务。而在上一届的South by Southwest大会期间，这家公司就以类似的方式递送过烤肉。（然而后者并没有很成功，卡兰尼克对《财富》说这主要和当时寒冷的天气有关。）

    他的观点是：Uber不仅仅是一项租车服务应用程序。卡兰尼克说，他和一家大型电子商务公司进行了非正式讨论，怎样利用司机的停工时间，使货物的当天送达成为可能。卡兰尼克解释称：“如果有人说，特拉维斯，你有这么好的生活品牌，打算什么时候做礼宾服务？或者什么时候涉足酒店业务？我告诉他们，我们不会做酒店业务，毕竟我们不会给你递上一家酒店，对不对？我们知道自己的定位。但我们可能会想做Uber露营车之类的事，比如我们会给你找辆露营车——开个玩笑，这个也没有。”

    从与会者反应来看，卡兰尼克和他的Uber风头正劲。当主持人杰茜•亨佩尔问谁用过这个服务时，在座无虚席的主舞台帐篷里，绝大多数观看访谈的人都举起了手。

    担任CEO的卡兰尼克对公司的财务状况也是三缄其口。目前Uber正在展开新一轮的融资，据传该交易对公司的估值为25亿美元。卡兰尼克承认融资一事，但否认了这个天价估值。“我们的运营数据真的非常好，”卡兰尼克终于松口。“而且在公开市场上，以大约50%或40%的速度增长的公司就会得到这样的估值倍数。如果你可以接受它们的市销率，而我们的市销率可以达到，——糟了，我上套了，该死。”听到这儿，全场都爆发出了笑声。（财富中文网）

    译者：默默

    Ask Travis Kalanick about the future of Uber, and he'll tell you that it has become a brand that transcends its original mission. "Today, we're in the business of delivering cars," Kalanick said onstage at this year's Brainstorm Tech conference. In the year-and-a-half sinceFortune profiled Kalanick, Uber has rapidly expanded into new markets, despite regulatory hiccups in cities like Washington D.C. and New York.

    But the serial entrepreneur, who previously cut his teeth on startups like the file-sharing service Red Swoosh in the early 2000s, also pointed out Uber has dabbled -- and continues to do dabble -- in other services. Last Friday, Uber worked with ice cream trucks and served up on-demand dessert in 33 cities; this Valentine's Day, it delivered rose bouquets. And at previous South by Southwest conferences, the startup served up barbecue in a similar fashion. (The latter wasn't much of hit however, something Kalanick told Fortune that had more to do with cold weather.)

    His point: Uber is more than just a car service app. Kalanick said he has held informal discussions with a large e-commerce company about utilizing drivers' downtime to potentially enable same-day delivery of goods. Explained Kalanick: "If somebody goes, Travis, you've got this great lifestyle brand. When are you going to do concierge services? Or when are you going to do hotels? And I'm like, we're not going to do hotels because we're not delivering a hotel building to you, right? So we know what we are. But maybe we do like Uber camper or something, like we'll bring a camper to you -- no, I'm just kidding."

    Judging from the conference attendees, Kalanick and Uber are having a moment. The vast majority of people watching the conversation in a packed main-stage tent raised their hands when asked by moderator Jessi Hempel who used the service.

    Uber's CEO also remained mum on the firm's finances. Uber is currently raising another round of funding at a rumored $2.5 billion valuation. He admitted the fundraising process was in progress, but demurred the stratospheric valuation. "Our numbers are really, really good," Kalanick said finally. "And the multiples that you see in the public market are around companies that are growing like 50% or 40%. You could take their price-to-sales ratios and we could come in -- well, shoot, I'm getting stuck. Shit." And the room exploded with laughter.