The history of Uber begins with the simple idea of get a means of transport by pressing a button. That idea was what led its founder, , to be a millionaire. Uber It is one of the largest startups in the world and, not only that, it managed to reach the top in record time. You may ask, how did he do it? Keep reading!
History of Uber: the beginnings
After studying computer engineering, Travis Kalanick tried various ideas transformed into startups without achieving the expected success. His first success before creating Uber was the sale of his software company Red Swoosh in 2007 . Created in 2001, Kalanick sold it to Akamai Technologies in a transaction valued at $19 million.
How Uber was created
A year later, in 2008, Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp attended LeWeb, a technology event in Paris where they heard the idea of reduce transportation expenses by sharing a vehicle with other people. Later, they both try to get a taxi back to no avail. That’s when they start to fantasize about the idea of create a means of transport that is requested simply by pressing a button. of these ideas Uber was born in 2009. This man is a clear example of Who follows her gets her.
Thus, in 2009 was born Uber Cab at the hands of Travis Kalanick, with the help of Garrett Camp as a co-founder. The first year of this company focused on offering premium vehicles in one click, in select San Francisco metropolitan areas. An expensive service compared to the Uber we know today.
Two years later, in 2011, the rise to success of the . “Cab” (the name given to taxis in the US) disappears from the company’s name after a series of problems with the San Francisco taxi drivers’ union. Despite its high cost, Uber becomes a fully available service throughout the city. The ease and simplicity of order a car pressing a button on the phone fueled the growing popularity of the app.
Also, the company was valued at $60 millionafter obtaining various investments from people interested in the project.
Growth and expansion: Uber X
That same year, Uber arrived in New York and managed to internationalize by establishing the service in Paris. This is possible thanks to an investment of 32 million dollars. Among his investors was founder of Amazon.
In 2012, the company announced Uber Xa low-cost transportation service that allows people to drive under the Uber name with their own vehicle. The Uber we know! This new feature manages to boost the success of the startup.
In 2013, Uber opens its services in India and some cities in Africa. Investments in the company did not stop growing until they achieved 3 thousand 760 million dollars at the end of that year.
Parallel to the expansion of Uber around the world, other services were released. In 2014, Uber goes live in China and launch in Manhattan. a service of delivery via cyclists to different places in the city.
In the middle of the year, born Uber Poola service which allows users share the ride with others going to the same destination or using the same route. This new service allows the user to save much more money by sharing the expenses of their trips with someone else.
In 2015 they launch UberCargo in HK. The first instant delivery servicein which users can request a van to transport large objects or make a small move. Just three months later, the brand launches , a food delivery service fast in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Barcelona.
In addition, during this last period of time, the cartography startup company from Letterwith the purpose of improving its services and not depending on third-party brands, such as Google Maps, for managing the location of drivers and users.
Uber Vs Taxi: legal problems arrive
During its expansion, Uber had to deal with several brawls with taxi drivers all over the world. In 2014, taxi drivers in London, Berlin, Paris, and Madrid staged a large-scale protest against Uber. The companies of taxi claimed that Uber was unfair competition avoiding paying high license fees and bypassing local laws.
That same year, Uber stops operating in Spain after a commercial judge ordered the cessation of the company’s activities. But in 2015 the company, closed by court order, begins to obtain permits for cars with a driver to resume its service within the legality. For this, it proposes different agreements and jobs to return to operate throughout Europe.
In 2016, they judge Uber preventing it from operating in London, where the company had 40,000 registered drivers. Transport for London (TfL) claimed that Uber was not eligible to be licensed. This restriction was lifted in June 2018, again allowing service under a 15-month license along with conditions.
2017:
Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, announces his departure from the company
Travis Kalanick announced in 2017 his departure from the management of Uber after being subjected to a significant pressure from shareholders of the same, after expanding the controversy of several sexual harassment, bad business practices, discussing rate cuts with company driversand even, problems with your active social life. A life with a quite affected reputation, both professionally and personally, to which was added the sudden death of his mother in an accident,
According to Kalanick’s own statements at the time, “I love Uber more than anything in the world, and at this difficult time in my personal life, I have accepted the investors’ request to step aside so that Uber can get back to building instead of being distracted by another fight.”
Despite his departure from the management of the company, the founder continues to be one of its main partners, with 8.6% of the company’s shares.
Uber crisis during the pandemic
Mobility startups have been among the worst stopped companies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In an attempt to deal with this crisis, the company has been forced to lay off temporarily your services of (Uber Pool).
The health crisis produced a decrease of 70 and 90% in the activity of the VTC service (vehicles with driver). However, two of its divisions: Uber Eatsdedicated to the distribution of food, and Uber Freight, of packages, increased their activity due to the confinement of millions of people. They were up 52% and 55% year-on-year, respectively.
During the first three months of 2020, Uber lost 2,946 million dollars. In addition, they had to announce the dismissal of 3,700 employeesabout 14% of its workforce.
In addition to the problems arising from the health crisis, Uber continues to have several open fronts with public administrations from different parts of the world. In May of this year, the California Attorney General filed a lawsuit against firm for classifying its drivers as contractors and not as employees, against the law.
Despite these data, the company is optimistic, stating that after confinement they have been recovering little by little.
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