New Delhi: In order to comprehend the experiences of drivers during the pandemic, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi recently disclosed that he spent several months working as the company's driver. The CEO was eventually compelled by the experiment to "reexamine every single assumption that we've made." During the course of the ensuing months, the CEO of Uber drove scores of passengers across San Francisco's hills.
Moonlighting was an element of Mr. Khosrowshahi's campaign. Mr. Khosrowshahi stated, "I think that the industry as a whole, to some extent, has taken drivers for granted," in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. (Also Read: FD Interest Rates For Senior Citizens 2023: These Banks Offer Rates Over 9%)
In order to improve the ride-hailing service, he made a number of significant adjustments using his expertise as an undercover driver. (Also Read: Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: Your Girl Child Will Get Rs 65 Lakh Return - Check Calculator Here)
His experiences as an undercover driver helped him better understand the problems that drivers confront. He was penalised by the app for declining rides, tip-baited by passengers, and encountered other hurdles.
The CEO talked about his personal experiences as an Uber driver, including how difficult it was to become a driver, how he witnessed tip baiting in person, and how the app penalised him for turning down trips. Unexpectedly, some Uber passengers' rudeness was difficult to handle.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Project Boomerang campaign had a key role in one of the major commercial transformations of Uber since its founding in 2009. Investors were pressuring the CEO to boost profitability.
After the economy was restored in 2021, Uber encountered a labour shortage. The business realised it needed to do more to recruit drivers than merely give them bonuses. The corporation made several challenging modifications in response to the drivers' requests, and they were profitable.
In 2022, Uber's revenue from ride-sharing more than doubled, and the business reported its first full-year adjusted profit since its inception. According to user receipts examined by market research company YipitData, it now controls 74% of the U.S. ride-share industry, up from 62% in early 2020.
The entire experience, according to Mr. Khosrowshahi, "was extremely clumsy." He started his time as an Uber driver by pretending to be one while driving passengers about the city in a used Tesla, complete with a well-prepared Spotify playlist.
Although Mr. Khosrowshahi forced him to make a number of adjustments, he claimed that there was still more work to be done.
