Uber was founded in San Francisco by Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick as UberCab, an idea for ordering a black car with a smartphone. The service began operating in San Francisco in 2010 and soon spread to other cities, adding cheaper options such as UberX that used drivers' own cars. Its model of matching drivers and riders through an app, with fares set by the company, changed urban transport, and it later expanded into food delivery. It also provoked fierce disputes with taxi drivers, regulators and cities over licensing, safety and the employment status of drivers. Uber went public in 2019, and although it grew rapidly worldwide, it long struggled to turn a profit.
Before and after
- 15 January 2009US Airways Flight 1549
- 20 January 2009First inauguration of Barack Obama
- 3 February 2009Discovery of COROT-Exo-7b
- from March 2009 to August 20102009 swine flu pandemic
- March 2009Release of Uber
- 7 March 2009Launch of Kepler Space Telescope
- 6 April 20092009 L'Aquila earthquake
- 21 April 2009Discovery of Gliese 581 e
- 30 April 20092009 attack on the Dutch royal family
More in Science & technology
- 1945Invention of computer
- 1964Discovery of rutherfordium
- 29 October 1969Invention of Internet
- 18 February 1970Discovery of dubnium
- July 1974Discovery of seaborgium
- 1984Discovery of hassium
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.