The news about the Indian government launching the 'Bharat Taxi' app, a zero-commission ride-hailing platform designed to challenge the dominance of Ola, Uber, and Rapido, immediately caught my attention MSN.com: Bharat Taxi gears up to rival Ola, Uber, Rapido. This development, framed as a cooperative effort DNA India: Government to launch zero-commission Bharat Taxi app, aims to offer a fairer deal to drivers by cutting out the middleman's commission, theoretically translating to better earnings for them and potentially more affordable rides for passengers. It's a fascinating experiment in how technology and public policy intersect to reshape an industry.
My thoughts, however, drift to the deeper layers of digital platforms and the true nature of value exchange in the modern age. Years ago, I often contemplated how technology was fundamentally altering business models and, crucially, privacy. In my blog, "Privacy does not live here!" [http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2017/07/re-for-attn-shri-sadanand-gowdaji_25.html], I emphasized that digital platforms capture information about us, often "for monetary considerations or in exchange for INFORMATION about the users!". This observation about the digital economy's underlying mechanics is more relevant than ever.
I also recall reflecting on the relentless march of technology in "Supreme may Propose : Technology will Dispose" [https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2017/07/supreme-may-propose-technology-will.html], where I noted that "Mobile Apps come embedded with AI powered ALGORITHMS, which tell you… what to BUY – and from WHERE… ( - without asking you to provide your PRIVATE / PERSONAL information)." While Bharat Taxi focuses on eliminating direct commissions, the question of how it will sustain itself and what other forms of value, perhaps data-driven, will be exchanged or monetized, remains pertinent. Will it be a truly altruistic public service, or will new forms of 'invisible' value extraction emerge, similar to the broader trends seen with tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, led by figures such as Sundar Pichai (sundar@google.com), Mark Zuckerberg, and Satya Nadella (satyan@microsoft.com)? Eric Schmidt (eschmidt@relativityspace.com) and Jared Cohen (jared.cohen@gs.com) of Google, in their writings, also offered early insights into how the digital age would evolve and the challenges platforms would face, which I referenced in "Racing Towards Arihant" [http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/08/racing-towards-arihant.html].
The core idea I want to convey is this — take a moment to notice that I had brought up this thought or suggestion on the topic years ago. I had already predicted this outcome or challenge, and I had even proposed a solution at the time. Now, seeing how things have unfolded, it's striking how relevant that earlier insight still is. Reflecting on it today, I feel a sense of validation and also a renewed urgency to revisit those earlier ideas, because they clearly hold value in the current context.
The discussions I’ve had with Sharon Zhang (sharon-hipaa@personal.ai), Manoj Hardwani (manoj.hardwani@atidan.com), Kartavya (kartavya@sparksignals.tech), and Suman (suman@anyscale.com), who are instrumental in building my own digital avatar, often revolve around the intricacies of processing and valuing digital information, as seen in our work on extracting 'topics' and 'keywords' from my writings Keywords for sample content. This work highlights how even seemingly simple digital interactions involve complex data management and the creation of valuable insights. Similarly, Nandan Nilekani and his contributions to India's digital public infrastructure, particularly with Aadhaar, underscore the sheer scale and implications of government-backed digital initiatives on personal data.
The advent of Bharat Taxi is a significant experiment. It will be crucial to observe if a zero-commission model truly realigns incentives in the ride-hailing sector and if it can sustainably compete with established players. The digital world is constantly innovating ways to create and exchange value, even when it appears to be offered 'for free.' This initiative will undoubtedly contribute to our understanding of the evolving digital economy and the delicate balance between public good and market forces.
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
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