Street Fight Daily: Snap Loses Ground to Instagram, Lyft and Waymo Partner Up on Self-Driving Cars

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…

Snap Installs Fall 16% As Instagram Pulls Further Ahead (VentureBeat)
On the heels of a disappointing first earnings report for Snap, a new report indicates the company’s trouble attracting new users deepened at the start of the second quarter.

The Current State of Google Maps — Fake News, Fake Reviews (Street Fight)
“It’s incredible to me that given all of Google’s focus on new local products that they are still getting some of the basics wrong,” Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm. “People who rely on Google more and more to find local businesses need to know that the fundamental metric of the business quality, reviews, is fair and well policed.”

Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars (NYT)
Waymo, the self-driving car unit that operates under Google’s parent company, has signed a deal with the ride-hailing start-up Lyft, according to two people familiar with the agreement who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. 

Friends Don’t Let Friends Dial Drunk — There’s a ‘Mode’ for That (Street Fight)
Rick Robinson: Drunk Mode is an app that helps users navigate their inebriation — and avoid making embarrassing calls at 2 am. CEO Josh Anton, who will be speaking at Street Fight Summit, developed his suite of location-based apps after getting one of those late-night phone calls from a friend.

What Is Digital Transformation, and What Does It Require? (eMarketer)
Most executives agree that a digital transformation is necessary to remain competitive, keep pace with disruptive technologies and evolve with shifting consumer expectations. Still, many are unsure of how to start the process, or even what it entails.

Behind the Hype: Is Amazon Go As Revolutionary as Everyone Thinks? (MediaPost)
Doug Baldasare: We can safely assume that Amazon will nail the tech — that’s what they do. But how does the company plan to attract brick-and-mortar shoppers away from stores they’ve grown comfortable with? Here are three obstacles standing in Amazon Go’s way to becoming the revolutionary brick-and-mortar experience it’s been hyped up to be. 

Google Has Bigger Challenges with Home Than Just Recognizing Different Voices (Recode)
If Google wants to hang onto its status as the world’s dominant source of information, it needs to make sure people keep using Google products when they’re in hands- and screen-free situations. As part of that goal, it needs to gain a greater foothold in voice.

Brooklinen Finds Shoppers by Promoting Content with Outbrain’s Lookalike Audiences (AdExchanger)
Promoting reviews and content featuring Brooklinen’s bed sheets drives results for the direct-to-consumer brand. “We’ve struck a nerve with the consumer that does research,” said Justin Lapidus, general manager of Brooklinen.

The Washington Post is Diving Into Augmented Reality (Digiday)
The Washington Post is launching an augmented-reality series today, the start of a push into AR-enhanced storytelling this year.

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