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It's Been a Rough Couple of Months for Uber — Have You Deleted the App?

March 30, 2017
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3 min read
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It's Been a Rough Couple of Months for Uber — Have You Deleted the App?
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Ride-sharing has come a long way since Uber first launched in 2010. Surely, the company has gone through its ups and downs — from being the largest of the ride-share apps with more than 40 million monthly riders as of October 2016 to its rough issues to start off 2017.

In fact, 2017 has started off so poorly for Uber that many of its users are now boycotting the ride-sharing service and instead turning to alternatives. Here's a rundown of all of the events that've led to the downfall of the service:

  • January
    • More than 200,000 customers delete the Uber app as part of the #DeleteUber movement because the company continued to operate during a taxi strike at JFK, organized by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.
    • Uber CEO Travis Kalanick receives backlash for his close ties to President Trump; forced to leave the Trump economic advisory council.
  • February
    • Claims of gender bias and sexual harassment arise at Uber; the company launches an internal investigation.
    • The New York Times publishes a report that the workplace culture at Uber featured cocaine usage at a company retreat and a groping incident; Kalanick recruits ex-US attorney general Eric Holder to conduct a review of its sexual harassment claims.
    • Uber sued by Google for allegedly using stolen technology.
    • Kalanick gets into a heated argument with an Uber driver.
    • Raffi Krikorian, senior director of engineering in the self-driving division, and Amit Singhal, SVP of engineering, step down.
  • March
    • Details emerge of Greyball, the company's tool to evade government authorities; Uber doesn't deny its existence.
    • Leaked data shows that the company's self-driving car relies heavily on humans.
    • Jeff Jones, Uber president, Brian McClendon, vice president of maps and business platform, Gary Marcus, head of Uber AI Labs, Charlie Miller, a member of the self-driving team, and Ed Baker, VP of product and growth, step down.

As you can see, it's been a tumultuous couple of months for Uber, with no end to its troubles in sight, as it just announced that it's forcing drivers to accept service animals or lose their job. So, people are taking to boycotting the service, instead opting for competitors or dropping ride-share app altogether — from Uber's largest competitor in the States, Lyft, to Curb and the China-based Didi Chuxing, to regional option Flywheel (West Coast) and even city-specific options like Gett and Juno (both in New York).

TPG himself is an Uber rider and doesn't plan to change that. He says that Uber is just too convenient of an option and available in so many destinations around the world that being a creature of habit and someone who loves convenience, he doesn't plan on moving on from the app. Plus, with the $200 annual Uber credit from the Amex Platinum Card, he plans to maximize that each month.

Of course, every person is different. So, we want to know: How do you feel about Uber? Given the developments in recent months, are you still an Uber user or have you deleted the app?

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