Uber's chief product officer, Sachin Kansal, has outlined the company's push into new areas beyond ride-hailing and delivery, including hotel bookings, "shop for me" concierge tools, boat rentals, driver debit cards, and a new autonomous-vehicle data unit called AV Labs. The interview reveals how Uber is positioning itself amid competition from robotaxi rivals such as Waymo, while stopping short of committing to becoming a full "everything app" in the mould of Asian super-apps like Grab.

Kansal said travel is now the "third leg of the stool" after rides and eats, noting that 1.5 billion trips a year happen outside users' home cities, which prompted the Expedia-powered hotel partnership. He also discussed early-stage financial services, including the Uber Pro debit card for drivers and couriers, emerging merchant products, and an Uber credits membership scheme offering 10% cash back on hotel bookings. AV Labs, launched six months ago, deploys sensor-equipped vehicles separate from Uber's regular driver fleet to gather driving data, a move Uber frames as strengthening ties with autonomous vehicle partners but which also serves as a hedge against rivals it both competes with and invests in.