Uber

Uber was founded in 2009 under the name “UberCab” by Travis Kalanick & Garrett Camp. Currently Travis Kalanick is the CEO however this is only from 2010 when the initial CEO Ryan Graves stepped down to become the companies COO. Graves was the first hire for uber after replying to a tweet offering the job. He then became the CEO of the company but allowed Kalnick to become CEO later in the year.Kalanick, Graves, and Uber cofounder Garrett Camp all made Forbes' list of the world's billionaires for the first time this year. Cofounders Kalanick and Camp have a larger stake in the company than Graves does, which explains their larger net worths.
Renee Atwood who is the Global Head of People and Places at Uber says that “We needed the best people and getting our culture right is a big part of that.” This culture has allowed Uber to overcome competitors in the market, the main features of it being the fact Uber would like its employees to feel valued and to care about the business more. By giving the employees a greater responsibility within the business they will have a larger interest in the business. Uber also emphasizes the idea, over the person. In other words, the company tries to “avoid politics” and “encourage toe-stepping” by encouraging employees at all levels to voice new ideas, and then supporting them if they seem doable, Atwood said. This culture has been implemented since the creation of the company and according to Uber is the key to such rapid growth.
To begin with Uber was a taxi service of luxury cars which as Kalanick says“In the beginning, it was a lifestyle company. You push a button and a black car comes up. Who's the baller? It was a baller move to get a black car to arrive in 8 minutes." But what began in 2009 as a luxury car service in San Francisco is now valued at $3.76 billion and operates worldwide. Its transformation from luxury to commercial came when the company began to expand to New York and the demand for commercial taxis was considerably higher than luxury. This prompted them to appeal to regular people who had normal cars suitable for taxi work. With recent success Uber has begun a number of new ventures in hope to branch out the business. These include UberEats which is essentially an app which allows you to do order food online and track it to your doorstep. With delivery times from just 3 minutes it has been valued at $62 billion already. Currently this is only availible in Canada.
Ubers growth hasnt been without trouble with many governments and taxi companies questioning the leaglity of Ubers operations. This is because these groups say that Uber presents unfair competition to taxis because the company does not pay taxes or licensing fees; that it endangers passengers; and that drivers are untrained, unlicensed and uninsured. There have been many protests however Governments have been largely unable to stop Uber's operations in their jurisdictions because its operations are conducted primarily over the Internet. At city jurisdictions, this might be easier to achieve. In addition, Uber is said to use extremely aggressive tactics such as bullying and hiring investigators to "dig up dirt" on journalists who criticize them.
Competition for Uber is strong as there are many taxi companies however the main competition for them is other companies that have a very similar concept behind the company. Here’s a rundown of the biggest competitors Uber faces: Launched in 2012, Lyft is a transportation company known for its fuzzy pink mustaches on the front or on dashboards of cars—silly, yet quite helpful when trying to spot your ride. Like Uber, Lyft offers multiple levels of service: Lyft Line (a shared ride option that can save users up to 60% on fare); Plain Lyft (a ride for solo travelers or groups up to four); and Lyft Plus (larger cars and SUVs perfect for those traveling with suitcases and boxes, or if you want to ride with a large group). You can select which type of ride you want with a slider tool at the top of the app. Another is Curb which is app-based, opening up to a map that marks your location; it also shows available Curb drivers nearby. Users can either book rides instantly, or schedule them up to 24 hours in advance (a service convenient for travelers). There is a choice of paying fares within the app or with cash in the car, as well as vehicle options to best suit your needs.
Uber has a great use of technology as it has an ultimate dependence on smartphones as it is wholy app based. This technology has allowed Uber to become the company that it is today as without it the concpet would not be possible. Also to improve navigation amongst drivers and improve tracking services made a deal with TomTom, the Dutch vehicle navigations systems maker, which will now supply the ride-sharing app's drivers with maps in more than 300 cities across the world.