It's every company's goal to be the "last man standing". In this case though, the other "men" on the playing field includes car ownership. Even absent Lyft, taxis and other competitors, the big prize isn't winning the current market for livery services. No, the big prize is winning the market for transportation. To win that market, Uber needs to be faster, cheaper and better than Lyft, taxis, public transportation, car rentals and car ownership. If they succeed, consumers win.