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Facebook and Uber reportedly in talks to put car hailing in Messenger

Facebook and Uber reportedly in talks to put car hailing in Messenger

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Recode reports that Facebook and Uber are in extremely early talks about the possibility of integrating Uber's car hailing service directly into Messenger. Mark Zuckerberg has personally spoken with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick about the idea, according to Recode's sources. But such a plan is "nowhere near execution" one person said, so for all we know the partnership may never pan out. Still, though it may sound strange at first, this is actually one alliance that would make sense.

Uber is eager to get all the prominent exposure it can with competitors like Lyft and Hailo constantly nipping at its heels. Landing a spot directly inside Facebook Messenger would introduce the service to a truly massive audience. For Facebook, pairing with Uber could be just one step in turning Messenger into a money-making business. During yesterday's financial earnings call, Zuckerberg emphasized that Facebook is in no rush to figure out a way of successfully monetizing the chat app. The company has hired the right people to make it happen, but all indications suggest Zuckerberg isn't yet feeling pressure to rake in profits from your Messenger conversations.

"We’re really serious about doing this the right way," he said, suggesting it will be "years" before Messenger and massive buys like WhatsApp and Oculus start boosting Facebook's bottom line. Uber could help in that effort should Zuckerberg and Kalanick decide they're right for each other. Either way, it sounds like the option of requesting a pickup in Messenger is a long, long way off.