Product Sense: What Electric-Bike Mobility Service Should Google Build?

You are a product manager at Google. Design a service built around electric bikes (e-bikes) that Google could offer. Decide what form the service takes and whom it serves first, describe the experience and the first-version features, and explain how you would measure success. ```hint Why Google, and why e-bikes Before choosing features, ask what Google could bring to an e-bike service that a bike company could not, and which trips e-bikes handle better than walking, transit, cars or ordinary bikes. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - What kind of service is meant: shared e-bikes rented by the trip, longer-term rentals or subscriptions, a peer-to-peer marketplace where owners rent out their own e-bikes, or rides on an e-bike with a driver? - Would Google own and operate the bikes, or partner with existing operators and own the rider experience? - Which market should the first version launch in: a few dense cities in one country, or many cities at once? - What does Google want from the service: revenue, more trips planned and paid through its own products, progress on sustainability, or something else? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A clear reason for Google to enter this space, and a chosen service model weighed against the alternatives. - Target segments with a reasoned first choice, and that segment's journey from finding a bike to paying, with the pain points at each step. - Prioritized first-version features that address the biggest pain points and use Google's strengths, including the fleet operations that make the rider experience reliable. - Success metrics with guardrails on safety, fleet health and unit economics. - Risks across operations, safety, regulation, partners and competition. ### Follow-up Questions - Every morning, bikes pile up in business districts and run short in residential areas. How should the product and the operations respond? - Would you build your own fleet or bring partner operators' bikes into Google's products? What would make you change your mind? - A rider is hurt when a bike's brakes fail. What should have prevented it, and how do you respond?