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There’s a lesson for higher ed in yesterday’s move by General Motors to invest $500 million in Lyft, a ride-sharing service.
If you can’t beat ‘em, join em.
General Motors sees the writing on the wall. Car ownership (and GM’s market share) will plummet as a ride to the grocery store, the movies or Mom’s is increasingly as easy as pushing a button on your phone.
“GM wants to be part of creating (and profiting) from this future rather than a passive victim of this shift,” writes Joshua Kim over at Inside Higher Ed.
New technologies and innovations herald a new tomorrow for higher ed, too.
As boot camps, academies, competency-based education, alternative credentialing, online education and other innovations emerge to challenge traditional higher ed services, Kim asks if the industry is like GM in the ‘60s, unaware that new competitors like Honda and Toyota pose a serious threat.
Not yet, I don’t think. But colleges that don’t experiment with and invest in what’s next may find themselves in a position GM did a few years ago… in need of a bailout.