logo

The Automotive and Tech Relationship

Bloomberg has shared a piece of data visualization that shows the relationships between automobile manufacturers and tech companies. The complex web highlights manufacturers’ desires to not lose out on profit, despite the (in some places) decreasing role that cars have in everyday life. 

Fiat Chrysler is used as an example. As long as manufacturers and tech companies develop new competing technologies, money is lost in the pursuit of systems that are effectively being researched twice-over. Furthermore, a marriage between the auto-industry and major tech companies ensures that risk— as well as profit— is shared in the long run.

The graphic reveals a few key takeaways. Uber leads the way as far as investors go, with support from Google, Toyota, Tata, and Microsoft. By contrast, Apple failed in partnerships with Daimler and BMW. However it has invested in Didi, a Chinese ride-share company. Didi, in turn, has partnered with Lyft.

Just as interesting as the flow of money is that of personnel. Sometimes, there is a change of personnel between two allied companies— as is the case of Google’s VP of Engineering heading to Uber. On the other hand, the head of Apple’s autonomous car project was hired away by Volkswagen.

Follow this link to see the graphic.