Uber
| File:Uber logo 2018.svg Logo since 2018 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation, logistics, food delivery, freight |
| Founded | March 1, 2009 |
| Founder | Garrett Camp, Travis Kalanick, Oscar Salazar, Conrad Whelan |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California , United States |
Area served | Approximately 70 countries and 15,000 cities worldwide |
Key people | Dara Khosrowshahi (CEO) |
| Products | Ride-hailing, package delivery, food distribution (Uber Eats), freight logistics |
Number of employees | Not specified |
| Website | www |
Uber Technologies, Inc. is a global American corporation specializing in transportation, providing services such as ride-hailing, package delivery, food distribution, and freight logistics. Its headquarters are situated in San Francisco, California, and it operates across roughly 70 nations and 15,000 urban centers worldwide. Recognized as the foremost ridesharing enterprise, Uber caters to over 150 million active users monthly, supported by a network of 6 million drivers and couriers. The platform facilitates an average of 28 million trips each day and has completed a total of 47 billion trips since its inception in 2010. In the year 2023, Uber's commission rates stood at 28.7% for mobility services and 18.3% for its food delivery segment.
History
The concept of Uber originated in 2009 when Garrett Camp, co-founder of StumbleUpon, sought to create a more straightforward and affordable alternative to traditional private transportation following an expensive experience with a private driver. Camp collaborated with Travis Kalanick alongside developers Oscar Salazar and Conrad Whelan to build the initial app prototype, with Kalanick serving as a principal advisor.
Ryan Graves joined Uber as its inaugural employee in February 2010 and was appointed CEO by May of that year. Later that December, Kalanick took over the CEO role while Graves transitioned to Chief Operating Officer.
After a beta phase launched in May 2010, Uber officially introduced its mobile application in San Francisco in 2011, initially offering premium black car services priced at approximately one and a half times the cost of traditional taxis. Due to regulatory challenges, the company rebranded from UberCab to simply Uber in 2011.
Early team members included specialists in physics and computational neuroscience who advanced Uber’s predictive algorithms for arrival times beyond what Google APIs provided. In April 2012, Uber expanded operations to Chicago, enabling customers to request either taxis or Uber drivers through its app.
July 2012 marked the launch of UberX, an affordable service option allowing drivers with commercial licenses to use non-luxury vehicles. By April 2013, this offering broadened further to include everyday drivers using personal cars that met background check and vehicle condition requirements. By the end of 2013, Uber had established a presence in 65 cities.
In December 2013, USA Today honored Uber as the technology company of the year.
The company debuted its shared ride service UberPool in August 2014 and simultaneously ventured into food delivery with the introduction of Uber Eats.
Confronted with stiff competition in China, Uber divested its Chinese operations to DiDi in August 2016, receiving an 18% stake in DiDi along with a $1 billion investment.
During 2016, Uber acquired the self-driving truck startup Ottomotto for $625 million amidst intellectual property disputes with Waymo; a settlement permitted Uber to utilize Waymo’s technology specifically for freight services.
In December of that year, Uber purchased AI firm Geometric Intelligence to establish "Uber AI," dedicated to machine learning research until its closure in May 2020.
Dara Khosrowshahi succeeded Kalanick as CEO in August 2017; prior to joining Uber, he led Expedia Group and had invested in ridesharing startup Wingz.
In early 2018, Uber merged with regional competitors Yandex Taxi (covering Russia and nearby countries) and Grab (operating across Southeast Asia), acquiring stakes valued at $225 million and 27.5%, respectively.
Between May and November 2018, Uber trialed peer-to-peer carsharing through Uber Rent powered by Getaround within San Francisco. Later that year in November, it attained gold membership status within the Linux Foundation.
Since 2018, through collaboration with Autzu, Uber has offered drivers the option to rent electric Tesla vehicles on an hourly basis.
Uber went public on May 10, 2019, via an initial public offering (IPO).
During mid to late 2019, the company reduced its workforce by approximately eight percent and eliminated the Chief Operating Officer position held by Barney Harford. In October of that year, it acquired a majority stake (53%) in Latin American grocery delivery startup Cornershop; by June 2021, Uber had become Cornershop’s sole proprietor through share acquisition.
From October 2019 through May 2020, Uber operated Uber Works—a platform connecting temporary employees with employers—in Chicago and Miami.
In January 2020, Uber completed the acquisition of Middle Eastern ridesharing competitor Careem for $3.1 billion while divesting its Indian food delivery business to Zomato. It also piloted driver-controlled fare multipliers at select airports within California.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on ride demand in May 2020, Uber reduced its workforce by over fourteen percent.
In June of that year, it launched its first software-as-a-service collaboration managing on-demand transit for Marin Transit located in California.
By September 2020, Uber committed itself to achieving carbon neutrality globally by 2040 and mandated that most rides be conducted using electric vehicles by the year 2030.
In December 2020, Uber purchased food delivery service Postmates for $2.65 billion while concurrently divesting its vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) air taxi division Elevate to Joby Aviation.
January 2021 saw Uber selling its autonomous driving unit ATG to Aurora Innovation for $4 billion worth of equity while investing an additional $400 million into Aurora.
The company relocated its headquarters to San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood in March 2021.
In October of that year, Uber acquired alcohol delivery platform Drizly for $1.1 billion; Drizly ceased operations in early 2024.
In January 2022, the company expanded by acquiring Australian car-sharing startup Car Next Door.
On September 15, 2022, Uber revealed it had experienced a security breach through social engineering tactics compromising employee credentials; however, no sensitive user data was reported lost.
In July 2025, Baidu formed a partnership with Uber to deploy Apollo Go autonomous vehicles beyond U.S. and Chinese markets; simultaneously, Uber announced plans to introduce over 20,000 Lucid vehicles equipped with Nuro Driver™ technology aimed at premium robotaxi services.
Controversies
Uber's designation of its drivers as independent contractors or gig workers has drawn significant criticism and legal scrutiny, enabling the company to bypass traditional employee benefits. This operational model disrupted established taxi services and prompted legal disputes in numerous regions. Compliance with local regulations varies worldwide, resulting in Uber's absence from certain markets due to regulatory prohibitions.
Research shows that in urban areas where Uber competes with public transit, the service contributes to increased traffic congestion, diminishes public transportation ridership, and encourages reliance on private vehicles, thereby influencing city mobility trends.
Other contentious issues include questionable tactics such as intense lobbying efforts and attempts to circumvent regulations, notably during the tenure of founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick.
Avoidance and evasion of local laws
Uber frequently adopted a strategy of launching operations prior to obtaining regulatory approval, subsequently using public advocacy and lobbying campaigns to modify existing legislation. The company framed itself as a technology platform rather than a traditional taxi provider to sidestep taxi industry rules, embracing a "ask forgiveness later" philosophy. For instance, in 2014 at California airports, Uber directed drivers to disregard permit mandates and offered to cover any fines incurred.
The company opposed California Assembly Bill 5 (2019), channeling substantial resources into lobbying and public outreach to preserve its contractor classification.
A leak involving more than 124,000 internal documents from 2012 to 2017 exposed comprehensive lobbying targeting prominent figures such as Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, use of a "kill switch" during police interventions, and Kalanick’s endorsement of aggressive measures against taxi competitors. These revelations shed light on Uber's leadership approach and its willingness to take risks.
Several lawsuits filed by taxi operators accused Uber of unfair competition through regulatory breaches; although courts recognized deliberate violations in some instances, Uber succeeded in all litigated cases.
In 2017, investigative journalism uncovered Uber’s deployment of "Greyball" software designed to evade law enforcement in areas where its service was banned. This technology identified officials through geofencing and data analysis. Initially denying its use for regulatory avoidance, Uber later admitted employing Greyball after investigations by agencies including the U.S. Department of Justice. This scandal contributed to Transport for London's decision not to renew Uber’s license that same year.
Additionally, Bloomberg News disclosed that between 2015 and 2016, Uber utilized a "panic button" system named "Ripley" which could lock and disable employee computers during government raids, illustrating the company’s confrontational stance toward regulatory enforcement.
Covert intelligence activities against class action plaintiffs
In 2016, Uber engaged the international security firm Ergo to secretly gather intelligence on plaintiffs involved in a class action lawsuit. Agents from Ergo impersonated associates of the plaintiffs’ legal team to collect potentially damaging information. Once uncovered, this covert operation led a judge to exclude evidence obtained through deceptive means.
Allegations of Sexual Harassment and Executive Changes (2017)
In February 2017, former Uber engineer Susan Fowler brought to light allegations of sexual harassment by a supervisor, as well as retaliation after she reported the misconduct. It was reported that CEO Travis Kalanick had knowledge of these complaints. Shortly thereafter, Senior Vice President of Engineering Amit Singhal resigned after it emerged he had not disclosed a previous harassment allegation from his time at Google.
Following inquiries conducted by former Attorney General Eric Holder and board member Arianna Huffington, Uber dismissed over 20 employees by mid-2017. Due to mounting investor pressure, Kalanick took an indefinite leave of absence and stepped down as CEO in June 2017. Additionally, Senior Vice President Emil Michael left the company after proposing the use of opposition research to undermine journalists critical of Uber, including editor Sarah Lacy.
In August 2018, Uber reached a $7 million settlement addressing gender discrimination and harassment claims, compensating 480 current and former employees. By December 2019, Kalanick had resigned from Uber’s board and sold all his shares, fully severing his connection with the firm.
Late Reporting of Data Breaches
On February 27, 2015, Uber disclosed a data breach that had occurred more than nine months prior, compromising the names and license plate details of approximately 50,000 drivers. Although the breach was identified in September 2014, the company delayed informing those affected for over five months.
In November 2017, Uber revealed another breach dating back to 2016 that affected 600,000 drivers and 57 million customers. Hackers accessed personal information—including names, email addresses, phone numbers, and driver’s license data—by exploiting employee credentials stored in a private GitHub repository. The attackers gained entry to Uber’s Amazon Web Services data storage and more than 100 Amazon S3 buckets. Uber paid hackers $100,000 to delete the stolen data but faced widespread criticism for failing to promptly disclose the incident. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi issued a public apology.
By September 2018, Uber agreed to a $148 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission—the largest multi-state data breach settlement to date—acknowledging inadequate security measures and falsely asserting ongoing monitoring of internal access to consumer information. Later that year, Uber’s UK operations were fined £308,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice charged former Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan with obstruction of justice related to orchestrating a hush payment to hackers with knowledge from then-CEO Travis Kalanick. The payment was disguised as a "bug bounty," and falsified nondisclosure agreements were used to conceal the breach's extent.
Privacy
Uber earned a five-star privacy rating from the Electronic Frontier Foundation in July 2017; however, later that year it faced backlash for continuing to track customers’ locations after rides concluded, leading to a reversal of this policy.
In January 2024, the Dutch Data Protection Authority imposed a €10 million ($11 million) fine on Uber for insufficient transparency regarding data retention and security practices related to drivers’ personal information transferred outside the European Economic Area.
In August 2024, Uber received a €290 million ($324 million) penalty for unlawfully transferring European drivers’ personal data to servers in the United States in breach of the GDPR.
Workforce
In February 2023, Uber drivers across the United States and United Kingdom organized strikes concerning compensation and fees, with participation from employees of Lyft and DoorDash, underscoring persistent labor issues faced by Uber on a global scale.
Uber One Legal Action
In April 2025, the Federal Trade Commission initiated legal proceedings against Uber, accusing the company of misleading billing tactics linked to its Uber One subscription program. The complaint included claims of unauthorized sign-ups and difficulties encountered when attempting to cancel subscriptions.
Advertising and Marketing Strategies
In March 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported on a growing emphasis among service platforms like Uber on leveraging higher-margin advertising to enhance profitability. Uber tailored advertisements using user information while striving to maintain a positive user experience by restricting ads to a single display per ride and eliminating push notifications following unfavorable user reactions.
Passenger Safety and Sexual Assault Litigation (2024)
February 2024 saw the formation of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Northern District of California, consolidating over 3,000 sexual assault claims against Uber. Plaintiffs contend that Uber placed expansion ahead of safety by failing to conduct thorough background checks, neglecting in-person driver screening, and lacking adequate preventive measures such as onboard cameras. The lawsuit demands injunctive relief, monetary damages, and reforms in company policies. Some victims are pursuing cases through state courts aiming for expedited resolutions.
Allegations of Wage Theft
In 2020, approximately 5,000 drivers lodged wage theft complaints against Uber and Lyft in California, arguing they were wrongly classified as independent contractors. Rideshare Drivers United estimates that as many as 250,000 drivers who worked from 2016 to 2020 could qualify for a settlement potentially worth tens of billions of dollars.
Financial Performance
| Year | Revenue | Net Income |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 43.9 | 9.8 |
| 2023 | 37.3 | 1.8 |
| 2022 | 31.8 | −9.1 |
| 2021 | 17.4 | −0.4 |
| 2020 | 11.1 | −6.7 |
| 2019 | 14.1 | −8.5 |
| 2018 | 11.3 | 1 |
| 2017 | 7.9 | −4 |
Between 2014 and 2022, Uber consistently recorded substantial losses each year except for 2018, when strategic withdrawals from markets such as Russia, China, and Southeast Asia resulted in equity stakes in competing firms. By the close of 2022, the company's assets totaled $32.11 billion compared to liabilities amounting to $24.03 billion. In 2023, Uber achieved its first annual operating profit of $1.88 billion after enduring cumulative operating losses of $31.5 billion since its founding.
| Region | Revenue (billion $) | Percentage Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States and Canada | 23.6 | 53.7% |
| Europe, the Middle East and Africa | 12.5 | 28.5% |
| Asia–Pacific | 5.0 | 11.5% |
| Latin America | 2.8 | 6.4% |
| Segment | Revenue (billion $) | Percentage Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mobility | 25.1 | 57.0% |
| Delivery | 13.8 | 31.3% |
| Freight | 5.1 | 11.7% |
Further reading
Academic papers
Publications
News articles
- The Uber whistleblower: I’m exposing a system that sold people a lie. The Guardian. July 11, 2022.
Additional viewing
- Playing by the Rules: Ethics at Work: Season 3 Episode 1: "Driven" PBS, October 3, 2019
External links
- Articles with short description
- Pages with broken file links
- Uber
- 2009 establishments in California
- 2019 initial public offerings
- American brands
- American companies established in 2009
- Companies based in San Francisco
- Location-based software
- Companies in the Dow Jones Transportation Average
- Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange
- Ridesharing companies of the United States
- Transport companies established in 2009
- Transport Network Companies
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment
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