Uber

This one number shows how powerful Uber still is around the world

Despite its many, many mistakes, Uber is still a global powerhouse.<p>The ride-hailing company just reached a big milestone: 5 billion Uber rides around the world.<p>With Uber's endless bad headlines, and Lyft gaining real momentum in the war against Uber, it's easy to forget how much else Uber has going …

Travis Kalanick

Uber But For Workers’ Comp: Company’s Plan Neglects Injured Drivers

It was just before sunrise, and John was cruising down a near-empty Dallas highway when a speeding car rear-ended him at over 65 miles per hour. His body lunged forward, but in the moment, he didn’t think he was seriously hurt; with his adrenaline pumping, John just felt a bit “shaken up.” A …

Workers' Compensation

Uber: Discovery shows Waymo has “zero evidence,” plays blame game

New documents foreshadow a trial’s key question: What did Uber know?<p>Documents filed in the <i>Waymo v. Uber</i> litigation yesterday laid out in the starkest …

Anthony Levandowski

Uber email: Hiring ex-Google star could save a year on robot cars

Hiring former Google star engineer Anthony Levandowski and his team had the potential to save Uber “at least a year” in the race to develop self-driving cars, according to an internal Uber email unsealed in court Thursday in the high-profile lawsuit between the companies.<p>Google’s self-driving car …

Anthony Levandowski

Uber is exploring a way to repair its relationship with drivers: equity in the $69 billion company

Uber has met with the SEC about the possibility of giving drivers equity in the company, according to an Axios report, citing an anonymous source. Drivers are contractors, not employees, and if the SEC were to agree, it would set an important precedent for other gig economy companies.<p>For Uber …

Business

Mendr is the Uber of Photoshopping

Meet Mendr, the Uber of the Photoshop and image processing world. Nowadays, almost everything is moving online. Hailing a cab is now done on your …

Photography

Woman Sues Uber Claiming the Company Knew the Violent Past of the Driver Who Raped Her

A woman is suing Uber for ignoring a driver's violent history.<p>The victim, who is goes by “Jane Doe" in court documents, alleges that she was raped by …

Crime

Uber ATG upgrades its autonomous truck test fleet with new tech

Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group has a new version of its testing transport truck for autonomous tech. The new model features an updated technology stack, including a 64 channel spinning LiDAR array, which is something never used previously on any of the former Otto’s test trucks.<p>The Uber ATG …

Transportation

Lessons in Leadership: Avoid an Uber-Crisis through Clear Written Policy, Education, and Action

What happened at Uber this month is symptomatic of what can, and often does, happen at many young and fast-growing companies. Often so fixated on growth and financial results, company leaders aren’t always paying full attention to the underlying culture that is forming, or whether the behaviors and …

Codes of Conduct

Despite internal struggle, Uber is still a very popular service

It's no secret that Uber is a bit of a mess right now and the subject of a number of different scandals. The company is recently CEO-less (and remains COO-, CFO-, and general counsel-less as well). It has lost a board member and fired 20 employees because of sexist comments and sexual harassment. …

The Women Tasked With Fixing Uber Speak Out About The Challenges Ahead

“The party’s over here; I’m over here,” says Bozoma Saint John. She’s joking, of course.<p>The former Apple marketing executive made headlines when she was appointed Chief Brand Officer at Uber earlier this month, trading in her coveted gig for a challenging role in what has been described as one of …

Silicon Valley

What You Can Learn from Uber's Crisis (and How to Avoid It)

Startup unicorn Uber is now in crisis mode, battling litigation and losing co-founder Travis Kalanick. This one business trait is its biggest weakness<p>Uber has had some serious battles - and losses - over the past year, from escalating sexual harassment allegations to illegal market manipulation to, …

Leadership

Uber drivers at JFK Airport are fighting for their right to pee

Lining up along a fence to urinate. Relieving themselves in the bushes. Carrying a water bottle in their cars in case of an emergency. These are a …

John F. Kennedy International Airport

Londoners are turning to apps so they don't have to buy a car

London has never been a great place to own a car. Traffic jams are abundant, you have to pay every time you enter the congestion zone, and you're more likely to pick up a knock in the capital than you are in other UK cities.<p>Now a YouGov poll has found almost half of Londoners see apps like Uber and …

Uber Was Just Sued Over Lack of Wheelchair-Accessible Cars

Uber is facing another in what has become a long line of controversies.<p>The Verge reports that The Equal Rights Center filed a lawsuit against the …

Disability

Why Uber Is Worth Saving and How To Do It

For many, Uber is a cautionary tale of corporate hubris gone crazy. But Rosabeth Moss Kanter argues the innovator deserves a second chance.<p>Uber’s …

Harvard Business School

California no longer will suspend driver's licenses for traffic fines

Californians no longer will face losing their driver's licenses because of unpaid traffic fines starting next month.<p>Gov. Jerry Brown said the punishment doesn't help the state collect unpaid fines and can send low-income people into a cycle of job losses and more poverty.<p>The policy will help ensure …

Driver's Licenses

Recode Daily: The ongoing cyber attack first targeted Ukrainian tax accountants, and experts suspect Russia

Plus, Trump twits Amazon in a tweet, and Lyft’s president says he won’t gloat over his chief rival’s misfortune.<p><b>The continuing wave of cyber attacks that crippled businesses and utilities in Europe may have had a more sinister motive than ransom money</b> — paralysis of vital computer systems. Because …

Cybersecurity

The Real Reason Uber Pushed Travis Kalanick Out

Investors have put millions into the ride-hailing giant, and they believed that keeping Kalanick around could hurt their return.<p>Why did a group of Uber's biggest investors push CEO Travis Kalanick out? A nice narrative would be that they demanded a real consequence for the culture he enabled, which …

Travis Kalanick

Blood supply company concedes worker status of couriers to NHS

TDL admits that some couriers are not self-employed and therefore entitled to employment rights in concession to people working in gig economy<p>Couriers carrying emergency blood supplies and delivering passports have won improved employment rights in an important concession for workers in the gig …

Gig Economy

Uber's Opportunity to Remake Silicon Valley—For Good

<i>Captain Renault: “I’m shocked—shocked—to find that gambling is going on in here.”</i><p><i>Croupier: [hands Renault money.] “Your winnings, sir.”</i><p><i>Renault: “Oh,</i> …

O'Reilly Media

Uber crosses the 5 billion trip milestone amid ongoing issues

Uber riders have taken 5 billion trips using the service the company announced today, more than doubling the two billion milestone it hit back in 2016. The 5 billion mark was actually crossed in May. 156 trips began at 7:29:06 AM GMT on May 20, Uber says, putting the ride hailing service over the …

Technology

Uber crosses 5 billion trips

(Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] said on Thursday that the ride-hailing services company had completed 5 billion trips, as of May 20.<p>The news comes after a string of setbacks for the privately held firm, including the resignation of Chief Executive Travis Kalanick last week.<p>Uber, which …

Travis Kalanick

What Drivers Want Out of the New-and-Improved Uber

There’s a window of time every evening — let’s call it #UberAfterDark — when shuttling people around via a ridesharing service comes with a certain …

Travis Kalanick

Qualcomm's new fingerprint sensors go through metal, glass and work underwater, too

Qualcomm has come out with new fingerprint scanning and authentication technology that makes it easier for manufacturers to embed the scanners under …

Phones

Madeleine Albright Wants Everyone to Know She Has a 5-star Uber Rating

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has an important announcement: She has a 5-star Uber rating.<p>The 80-year-old tweeted the news on …

Feminism

Google Expands Waze Carpooling Across California

Google is expanding its paid carpool service throughout California, building on an effort to get more traffic-weary drivers to share their rides to …

Internal Revenue Service

Cadillac Partners With Blade For Free Helicopter Rides To The Hamptons

What’s better than beating traffic with a helicopter trip to the Hamptons and using a Cadillac XT5 for the weekend? Not having to pay a dime for the ride.<p>Cadillac has partnered with crowdsourcing on-demand aviation company Blade for a summer promotion to offer eight complimentary seats on a …

Luxury

How to Request an Uber at LaGuardia Airport During Construction - Points Miles & Martinis

As we have reported, one of the three major New York City airports is getting a major renovation: LaGuardia Airport.<p>The airport is decades old and is …

Airports

Lyft adds new luxury options for Denver riders

Following Lyft’s initial dry run of a luxury option in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, the ride-hailing service is bringing Lyft Lux and Lux …

Denver