Many major car companies are scrambling to get into autonomous cars, widely seen as the future of the auto industry. Getting into a completely new field is hard and scary. It's almost like walking in the dark. That's why its always best to buddy up.
Volvo has just announced a $300 million partnership with Uber, with the stated goal of placing driverless cars on the road by 2021. The alliance calls for Uber buying XC90 SUVs and other Volvos, and putting its own self-driving systems into them.
However, it is not a mutually exclusive relationship: both are free to play with other partners. Employees will still largely be working at their respective company, rather than be used as shared resources.
This illustrates the differing visions of the two companies when it comes to self-driving cars. Uber seeks to eliminate its biggest cost, paying drivers, while Volvo wants to make cars which still allow for drivers but also with autonomous capabilities.
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