经济学人:从0到70(十亿) 优步究竟经历了什么(1)

 　　Briefing: Uber: From zero to seventy (billion)

　　简报：优步：从0到70（十亿）

　　The accelerated life and times of the world's most valuable startup.

　　加快的生活步伐以及全球最具价值创业公司。

　　Several of America's great industrialists¹ built empires in Pittsburgh, including Andrew Carnegie, a steel magnate.

　　美国一些伟大的实业家在匹兹堡建立了产业帝国，包括钢铁大王安德鲁·卡内基。

　　Now the city is attracting the attention of a new, aspiring² robber baron³.

　　如今该城市又吸引了另一位有抱负的强盗资本家（特拉维斯·卡拉尼克）的注意力。

　　Uber001.jpg

　　Last year the ride-hailing firm Uber swooped⁴ down on a robotics research centre run by Carnegie Mellon University in search of autonomous⁵-vehicle expertise⁶.

　　去年，叫车服务公司优步一头扎进卡内基·梅隆大学的机器人技术研发中心，寻求自动驾驶汽车的专业技术。

　　It has been testing self-driving cars on Pittsburgh's roads for months, and will soon begin offering customers the chance to request rides in one.

　　优步已在匹兹堡道路上对自动驾驶车辆进行了为期数月的测试，乘客很快就能召唤到自动驾驶车辆。

　　Since the launch of its first smartphone app, UberCab, in 2010, the startup has attracted $18 billion in equity⁷ and debt.

　　优步公司自2010年开发了首款手机应用优步出租车（UberCab）后，便以股权和债权方式融资到180亿美元。

　　Today it carries a valuation of close to $70 billion, making it by far the largest of the startup “unicorns” worth over $1 billion.

　　如今优步市值接近700亿美元，成为 “独角兽”型企业（指估值超过10亿美元的创业公司）中市值最大的一家公司。

　　No technology firm in history has raised more money from private investors⁸ before going public.

　　历史上还没有哪家公司在上市之前便获得如此多的私人投资。

　　Its deep-pocketed backers include Saudi Arabia's sovereign-wealth fund, mutual⁹ funds, Silicon¹⁰ Valley venture capitalists and a crowd of other firms.

　　优步的大财主有沙特阿拉伯主权财富基金、共同基金、硅谷资本家和其他众多的公司。

　　They are stalking the next big win in the technology business at a time when returns from other assets are widely disappointing.

　　眼下其他资产投资回报普遍让人失望，他们纷纷将资金赌注到下一场技术热潮的到来。因此这些大财主都盯着技术行业，准备大赢一场。

　　Uber operates in more than 425 cities in 72 countries and has around 30m monthly users.

　　优步已在全球72个国家中的多于425个城市开展业务，每月用户达到3000万左右。

　　In 2016 it will probably have around $4 billion in net revenues, more than double the previous year’s.

　　优步2016年的净收入预计将达到40亿美元左右，是去年的两倍多。

　　Originally dedicated¹¹ to connecting customers with limos and other ritzy rides, since 2012 it has offered a peer-to-peer service called UberX that lets drivers of all sorts of cars offer rides to passengers using its app.

　　优步最初致力于让顾客享受到高级、豪华轿车的服务，但自2012年起，优步推出了点对点的服务，即UberX，借此所有类型的汽车的司机都能搭载使用该应用的乘客。

　　This service now accounts for the bulk of the firm’s revenues.

　　优步的收入有很大一部分来自该项服务。

　　The company also offers an UberPool service that allows several passengers travelling in the same direction to share a ride.

　　优步还提供拼车（Uberpool）服务，前往同一方向的乘客可以共享一辆车。

　　It does not own its car fleet, but takes a cut of the fare in return for providing the platform that allows the drivers to work—typically 25%, with the rest going to the driver.

　　优步并没有自己的车队，但它从使用优步平台的车主中抽成，通常抽成25%，剩下的归车主。

　　The company combines great name recognition with huge potential for growth.

　　优步因其巨大的增长潜力不断获得品牌知名度。

　　Like Facebook and Google before it, it has its own verb ( “Let's Uber there” ) .

　　与此前的脸书和谷歌相同，优步已然可以当成动词使用(我们优步过去吧)。

　　Speaking to The Economist¹², Travis Kalanick, the company's co-founder and boss, says his goal is not simply to disrupt the taxi market but to make ride-sharing so cheap and convenient that using Uber becomes an alternative to owning a car.

　　优步的联合创始人及老板，特拉维斯·卡拉尼克（Travis Kalanick）在接受经济学人的采访时表示，优步的目标不仅仅是改变现有的出租车市场，而是降低租车价格，提高服务便利性，推动优步最终可以成为自有车辆的替代之选。

　　Meanwhile, he is pushing into new areas, such as delivering food and packages.

　　与此同时，他还在积极拓展新领域，例如外卖和快递行业。

　　Last month Uber acquired Otto, a newborn autonomous-lorry company, for around $600m and 20% of Uber's future profits from trucking.

　　上个月，优步以大约6亿美元的价格收购了奥拓，一家成立不久的公司主营无人驾驶型货车，收购奥拓的资金占到优步未来货车行业利润的20%。

　　If Uber can pull all this off, it could be one of the biggest companies in the world—one which plays a critical role in the lives of consumers and the fabric¹³ of cities.

　　如果优步能够实现所有的雄心壮志，便可以成为世界级的企业巨头，对消费者的生活以及城市面貌产生重要影响。

　　The potential for profit is enormous.

　　（由此可见）优步在盈利能力上有巨大的潜力。

　　Worldwide spending on internet advertising¹⁴, the business that sustains internet giants like Google and Facebook, will be $175 billion this year—larger than the taxi market, which is estimated at roughly $100 billion.

　　互联网广告业务是网络巨头谷歌及脸书持续盈利的主要来源，今年广告业投放在互联网的资金预计达到1750亿美元，超过投放于出租车市场的金额（粗略估计为1000亿美元）。

　　But the global market for personal mobility¹⁵ is worth as much as $10 trillion, according to Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley, a bank.

　　但是摩根士丹利银行的亚当·乔纳斯推测，为人员流动提供便利的全球市场价值高达10万亿美元。

　　These prospects¹⁶ go some way to explaining a valuation higher than the market value of 87% of firms in the S&P 500 and more than a third higher than that of General Motors, which had a gargantuan¹⁷ $152 billion in sales last year.

　　尽管去年通用汽车的销售额达到惊人的1520亿美元，优步的市值依然比通用汽车高出三分之一。优步的市值击败了标准普尔指数500中87%的公司，究其原因，正是上述所提到的优步的（发展）前景。

　　Unsurprisingly, a valuation of around 17 times the loss-making company's 2016 revenues spurs a certain amount of scepticism.

　　这就是为什么人们怀疑优步何以能在持续亏损的情况下市值能达到2016年营收的17倍。

　　Such a figure can be justified¹⁸ only by lots of future growth, which will cost yet more money.

　　只有在未来实现巨幅增长才能证明这个数字不是无稽之谈，而增长需要大量资金。

　　But when Uber goes public, perhaps as soon as next year, in order to provide an exit for current investors, will its new shareholders¹⁹ be willing to tolerate continuing losses in the name of growth?

　　但是如果优步成为上市公司（时间最早可能在明年），为现有的投资者提供撤资渠道，新的股东是否会愿意为了未来的增长持续忍受亏损呢？

　　There are other questions, too.

　　问题不仅限于此。

　　Are the barriers to entry in Uber's business high enough to defend it against rivals such as Lyft in America, Ola in India and Grab in South-East Asia, and from future competition from the likes of Alphabet's Google?

　　进入打车行业的门槛是否足够高，能够将优步的竞争对手，譬如美国的Lyft，印度的Ola及东南亚的Grab公司拒之门外。Uber在未来是否又能抵御Alphabet旗下的谷歌以及其他同类公司的竞争呢？

　　Will regulation hamstring its growth?

　　(市场)监管是否会挫伤优步的增长呢？

　　And perhaps most crucially, how will it manage the transition to driverlessness?

　　最重要的是，优步将如何向无人驾驶转型呢？

　　The firm's long-term success lies in changing the way people and goods get moved around—exactly the area that autonomous vehicles will disrupt.

　　优步要想保持成功就需要改变人员及货物运输方式，而无人驾驶车辆势必在这一领域带来颠覆性的影响。

　　The company feels a pressing need to navigate²⁰ this technological²¹ change before the carmakers and rival technology companies provide competitive visions of the future of transport, and of who will profit from it.

　　优步公司在科技领域推动变革可谓迫在眉睫，必须先于汽车制造商以及同业竞争者，预见未来交通领域发展趋势，以及从这一趋势中获利的实体。

　　1.start up 启动；开办

　　例句:There is a lack of people wanting to start up new businesses.

　　有创业意愿的人非常匮乏。

　　2.moved around 移动；四处走动

　　例句:He moved around the room, putting his possessions together

　　他在屋里走来走去，忙着把自己的东西放在一起。

　　3.go public 上市；公开宣布

　　例句:She and her friends wanted to go public with their version of the incident

　　她和朋友们想把他们看到的事情经过公之于众。

　　4.market value 市场价值

　　例句:He must sell the house for the current market value.

　　他必须以目前的市价出售这座房子。

1 industrialists   

n.工业家，实业家( industrialist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This deal will offer major benefits to industrialists and investors. 这笔交易将会让实业家和投资者受益匪浅。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has set up a committee of industrialists and academics to advise it. 政府已成立了一个实业家和学者的委员会来为其提供建议。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

3 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

4 swooped   

俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The aircraft swooped down over the buildings. 飞机俯冲到那些建筑物上方。
• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it. 鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来，并把它杀死。

5 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

6 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

7 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

8 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

9 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

10 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

11 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

12 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

13 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

14 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

15 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

16 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

17 gargantuan   

adj.巨大的，庞大的

参考例句：

• My gargantuan,pristine machine was good for writing papers and playing solitaire,and that was all.我那庞大的、早期的计算机只适合写文章和玩纸牌游戏，就这些。
• Right away,I realized this was a mistake of gargantuan proportions.我立刻意识到这是一个巨大的错误。

18 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

19 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

20 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

21 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。