In January, General Motors bought troubled ridesharing company Sidecar, hiring CTO Jahan Khanna along with 20 other employees. The purchase of Sidecar was seen as an act to further bulk up GM's earlier $500-million investment in Lyft. Now, only a few months later, Khanna is moving over to Uber. He will accept a project lead position at Uber's vehicle solutions team, which focuses on car leasing for Uber drivers.
Sidecar entered the market in 2011, and one of the most significant events of its short lifespan was to offer free rides at the 2013 South by Southwest festival. Around that time, the Austin city council sought to outlaw the act of ridesharing in exchange for money, and as a riposte Sidecar made all Austin rides between March 7 and 17 completely free of charge.
However, despite trying out different approaches like business-to-business food and goods deliveries, Sidecar could not generate a strong enough footing to stand by itself. Sidecar raised around $39 million dollars to keep in business, though GM reportedly bought it for far less.
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Sidecar entered the market in 2011, and one of the most significant events of its short lifespan was to offer free rides at the 2013 South by Southwest festival. Around that time, the Austin city council sought to outlaw the act of ridesharing in exchange for money, and as a riposte Sidecar made all Austin rides between March 7 and 17 completely free of charge.
However, despite trying out different approaches like business-to-business food and goods deliveries, Sidecar could not generate a strong enough footing to stand by itself. Sidecar raised around $39 million dollars to keep in business, though GM reportedly bought it for far less.
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