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Uber just bought a mapping startup founded in 1996
(Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Uber is buying a mapping startup called deCarta for an undisclosed amount, Mashable reports.
Right now, Uber uses Google Maps data to power its apps for drivers and riders. This new acquisition hints that that relationship might not last.
The acquisition might also play into the Advanced Technologies Center that Uber's building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that will research and develop mapping and vehicle safety and autonomy technology .
The move focuses on talent and technology: about 30 of deCarta's 40 employees will join Uber.
The company was founded back in 1996 as Telcontar, and has powered a lot of mapping products through the years, including big web giants like Yahoo and Google.
Although the company's software platform, which includes mapping, local search, turn-by-turn navigation, and other location-based features, will continue to function independently, Uber will be using it internally as well.
"A lot of the functionality that makes the Uber app so reliable, affordable, and seamless is based on mapping technologies," an Uber spokesperson told Mashable's JP Mangalindan. "With the acquisition of deCarta, we will continue to fine-tune our products and services that rely on maps — for example UberPOOL, the way we compute ETAs, and others – and make the Uber experience even better for our users."
In February, Bloomberg's Brad Stone reported that Google was preparing to offer its own ride-hailing service to work with its self-driving cars, citing sources with knowledge of the plans. Although Google brushed off this report, that too could have fueled Uber's decision to double-down on its mapping efforts.
Uber has raised almost $6 billion so far, but this is its first confirmed acquisition.
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