A common trope in video games involves picking up the gear of a fallen enemy, which you can then use to improve your own adventure. General Motors is proving that life occasionally imitates art, as it's picking up the scraps of Sidecar in an attempt to bolster its relationship with ride-share company Lyft.
The General paid an undisclosed sum to acquire the technology and other assets from the now-failed company. Sidecar, which started in 2012, fell by the wayside this year as the market chose to anoint two main ride-sharing providers. GM announced its preference for Lyft earlier in January with a $500 million investment, and now it's pillaging Sidecar's remains to bring even more to the two companies' partnership.
GM even picked up some humans along the way. Bloomberg reports that some 20 Sidecar employees were hired, including co-founder Jahan Khanna. Details are generally pretty scant, however, which makes sense -- you don't want to give away all the secrets you paid good money to procure.
What GM and Lyft aim to accomplish with their partnership has yet to be seen, although it's a sensible move for an automaker at this juncture. If you want to break into the ride-sharing scene without having to invest billions into your own bespoke service, it's a wise idea to partner up with a company that already understands the ins and outs.