Amid a recent avalanche of bad headlines — including the release of an email memo to employees outlining his rules for partying and sex — Uber CEO Travis Kalanick may step away from the company for a bit. [More]
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The 5 Most Ridiculous Moments From Uber CEO’s Memo On Rules For Partying & Sex
By 6.9.17
Most of us don’t want our boss’s personal thoughts on the best ways to party and possibly engage in sexual intercourse with co-workers. Even if we did want this insight from our supervisor, it’s probably best to leave some lines uncrossed. Yet, Uber’s CEO (and embodiment of overcompensation) Travis Kalanick apparently felt compelled to share this sort of wisdom with hundreds of employees. [More]
From Obtaining Rape Victim’s Medical Documents To Misused Lactation Rooms: 4 Reasons Uber Looks Awful This Week
By 6.8.17
The first half of 2017 hasn’t exactly been kind to Uber and its CEO Travis Kalanick, from a video showing the executive arguing with a driver, the #deleteuber social media campaign tied to a proposed government travel ban, and a top-secret algorithm to avoid the law. Uber’s awful year kicked into overdrive this week amid multiple reports of bad behavior and renewed calls for Kalanick’s ouster. [More]
Uber To Repay Customers Who Experienced Surge Pricing After London Attacks
By 6.5.17
Nearly three years ago, Uber received significant backlash after it charged surge prices during a hostage situation in Sydney, Australia, leading the company to refund riders for those trips. A similar situation is playing out in London after the ride-hailing service charged customers caught up in a recent terror attack more for rides to safety. [More]
Lyft Goes After Uber’s Business Users With New “Lux” Service
By 5.25.17
While Uber has long courted business commuters with its premium UberBlack and UberXL, competitor Lyft’s comparable offerings didn’t match up. Now Lyft hopes to drink some of Uber’s corporate client milkshake with the rollout of new Lux and SUV tiers of service. [More]
Uber Owes Some NYC Drivers Up To $45M After Miscalculating Commissions
By 5.23.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
Uber has to open up its wallet and pay an estimated $45 million to its drivers in New York City, after it miscalculated drivers’ share of fares for more than two and a half years. [More]
Is The Honeymoon Over For Pittsburgh & Uber’s Driverless Car Program?
By 5.22.17
Compared to Uber’s ugly, contentious one-week test of self-driving cars in San Francisco , the ridesharing company’s nine-month-old self-driving program in Pittsburgh has been rather peaceful. But after a number of broken promises, some city leaders are reportedly regretting this arrangement. [More]
Uber Fares Will Soon Be Based On How Much Uber Thinks You’re Willing To Pay
By 5.19.17
If you’ve ever hailed an Uber ride and thought afterward that you paid a lot less than you should have, those days may soon be over. The company’s latest change to its pricing model will offer you a rate that isn’t based purely on time and distance, but on what Uber’s computers think you’ll be willing to pay. [More]
‘Deadliest Catch’ Star Apologizes After Arrest For Spitting On Uber Driver
By 5.19.17
When there’s a misunderstanding with your Uber driver, there are ways to calmly resolve the situation. Definitely don’t do what Sig Hansen — one of the stars of Discovery’s reality hit Deadliest Catch — did. The crab boat captain was recently arrested for allegedly spitting on an Uber driver who refused to accept cash. [More]
Drivers For Ride-Hailing App Juno Claim Company Misled Them With Promises Of Stock
By 5.16.17
Last year, drivers for ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft were excited about a new competing app, Juno, which promised to grant drivers stock in the company along with lower commissions and in-app tipping. Juno was recently acquired by yet another service, Gett, and the drivers have seen their equity evaporate, leading them to file a complaint with federal regulators. [More]
Waymo And Lyft Teaming Up To Work On Self-Driving Cars
By 5.15.17
If Uber and Google haven’t already stopped wearing the Best Friends Forever necklaces they exchanged way back when, well, they’re definitely chucking those things in the garbage now: Google’s Waymo is partnering up with Uber’s sworn enemy, Lyft, to collaborate on autonomous vehicles. [More]
Uber Settles Charges Of Sending Unwanted Texts With No Opt-Out
By 5.5.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
If you’re interested in signing up as an Uber driver, a friend or driver can have the site text you a mutually beneficial referral code. Some consumers in Washington state reported receiving referral text messages from the ride-hailing app that they didn’t ask for, though, with no way to opt out, and now the company and the state have settled those charges. [More]
Feds Launch Criminal Investigation, Want To Know If Uber’s “Greyball” Broke The Law
By 5.5.17
Uber’s expansion throughout the country and the world has been extremely rapid. Sometimes that’s meant going places where its service isn’t legal, in the hopes that it may eventually be — and using a secret tool, dubbed “Greyball”, to fool law enforcement and avoid getting caught. Until, of course, they did — and now the feds are wondering if Uber crossed a criminal line. [More]
Apple, Uber, Tesla Ask California To Revise Rules For Self-Driving Cars
By 4.28.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Now that California has proposed rules intended to make it easier for tech companies to test self-driving vehicles on public streets, those companies are calling on the state to make additional changes that would further favor the industry. [More]
Uber Makes It Easier To Delete Accounts, Control Use Of Location Data
By 4.28.17
Until now, deleting the Uber app from your phone did nothing to cancel your account with the ride-hailing platform. To do that, you had to contact customer service. It’s still not that easy to end your relationship with Uber, but at least now you can do it without assistance from the company. [More]
Uber Driver Charged With Raping Passenger
By 4.27.17
An Uber driver in California has been charged with raping a female passenger in his car in March, after he picked her up from a company function. [More]
Uber Drivers Accuse Cabs Of Poaching Their Customers
By 4.26.17
In a reversal of the normal narrative of the fight between ride-hailing app drivers and traditional taxi drivers, an organization of Uber drivers in Atlantic City is suing the companies that operate yellow cabs in the region, claiming that they’re stealing customers and transporting those customers without insurance coverage. [More]
