Uber was founded in 2009 by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp in San Francisco. The original concept was a luxury black car service you could summon from a phone. UberX, the cheaper option using regular drivers and their personal cars, launched in 2012 and transformed urban transportation worldwide.
Uber went public on the NYSE in 2019 at a $82 billion valuation, though the stock initially struggled. Under CEO Dara Khosrowshahi (who replaced Kalanick in 2017), the company shifted from “growth at all costs” to a focus on profitability. Uber finally turned its first operating profit in 2023.
Today, Uber operates in over 70 countries and 10,000+ cities. The platform has over 150 million monthly active users and 7.6 million active drivers and couriers. Gross bookings exceeded $138 billion in 2023 across its three segments: Mobility (rides), Delivery (Uber Eats), and Freight (logistics).
Uber Eats, launched in 2014, became a major growth driver — especially during the pandemic when ride-hailing dropped but food delivery surged. Uber Freight connects shippers with carriers for long-haul trucking. The company also operates in advertising, with a growing ad business across its apps.
Uber’s technology platform handles millions of real-time pricing, routing, and matching decisions per minute. The company has invested in autonomous vehicle partnerships and has discussed reintroducing self-driving cars to its network through deals with companies like Waymo.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Uber employs roughly 30,000 people. Annual revenue exceeded $37 billion in 2023, and the company’s market cap has surpassed $150 billion.
