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Uber Vehicle Allegedly Saw but Ignored Woman it Struck

May 8, 2018 Dianne Jacobs

The cause of the fatal crash of an Uber self-driving car appears to have been at the software level, specifically a function that determines which objects to ignore and which to attend to, The Information reported. This puts the fault squarely on Uber’s doorstep, though there was never much reason to think it belonged anywhere else. Given the multiplicity of vision systems and backups on board any given autonomous vehicle, it seemed impossible that any one of them failing could have prevented the car’s systems from perceiving Elaine Herzberg, who…

Uber expands privacy settlement with FTC

April 13, 2018 Dianne Jacobs

Uber is expanding the proposed settlement it made with the Federal Trade Commission last August pertaining to data mishandling, privacy and security complaints that date back to 2014 and 2015. In August, Uber agreed to 20 years of privacy audits. That proposed settlement happened prior to Uber’s disclosure of the massive 2016 data breach that affected some 57 million riders and drivers. Now, Uber will be subject to “additional requirements,” according to the FTC. “After misleading consumers about its privacy and security practices, Uber compounded its misconduct by failing to…

Uber Blocked from Testing Self-driving Cars on Arizona Roads

March 27, 2018 Dianne Jacobs

Uber has been barred from testing its self-driving cars on public roads in Arizona following the accident last week involving one of its testing vehicles that killed a pedestrian crossing the street in its path. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey released a letter sent to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in which he described the accident as captured by onboard cameras as “disturbing and alarming.” The governor, who has been a strong proponent of self-driving testing in the state up until this point, advocating for Uber and other companies to bring their…

Uber CEO says there will be no more global exit deals

March 26, 2018 Dianne Jacobs

Uber has exited three global markets by selling to rivals, but enough is enough after its deal with Grab so says CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Following today’s announcement with Grab which sees Uber leave Southeast Asia hot on the heels of exits in China (2016) and Russia (2017), Khosrowshahi told employees that there will be no more repeats under his leadership. It is fair to ask whether consolidation is now the strategy of the day, given this is the third deal of its kind, from China to Russia and now Southeast Asia. The…

Uber used undercover agents, court letter says

December 18, 2017 Dianne Jacobs

It is critical evidence in Uber’s legal battle with Waymo, the self-driving car company that accuses the ride-sharing firm of stealing its technology. The letter, sent by lawyers representing a former Uber employee, sparked an internal investigation when it was sent to Uber in May, but has not been made public until now. In a statement, Uber said: “While we haven’t substantiated all the claims in this letter – and, importantly, any related to Waymo – our new leadership has made clear that going forward we will compete honestly and…

Uber Paid Hackers to Delete Stolen Data on 57 Million People

November 22, 2017 Dianne Jacobs

Hackers stole the personal data of 57 million customers and drivers from Uber Technologies Inc., a massive breach that the company concealed for more than a year. This week, the ride-hailing firm ousted its chief security officer and one of his deputies for their roles in keeping the hack under wraps, which included a $100,000 payment to the attackers. Compromised data from the October 2016 attack included names, email addresses and phone numbers of 50 million Uber riders around the world, the company told Bloomberg on Tuesday. The personal information…

Uber confirms SoftBank has agreed to invest billions

November 13, 2017 Dianne Jacobs

The long-anticipated SoftBank Group investment into Uber has been agreed upon, confirms a spokesperson. “We’ve entered into an agreement with a consortium led by SoftBank and Dragoneer on a potential investment. We believe this agreement is a strong vote of confidence in Uber’s long-term potential. Upon closing, it will help fuel our investments in technology and our continued expansion at home and abroad, while strengthening our corporate governance.” Uber has not yet elaborated on plans, but we’ve been told that it includes a $1 billion investment in the company at the…

Travis Kalanick Resigns As Uber’s CEO

June 23, 2017 Dianne Jacobs

Travis Kalanick , one of the founder of Uber, the popular ride-hailing service has stepped down Tuesday as chief executive. Kalanick helped start the ride hailing service in 2009 and built it into a transportation colossus. He has now stepped down after a shareholder revolt made it untenable for him to stay on at the company. The exit came under pressure after hours of drama involving Uber’s investors, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, who asked to remain anonymous because the details were confidential. The company has…

Uber and Little Cab’s duel for Nairobi’s Taxi Market

September 16, 2016

Uber Africa launches Uber Cash in partnership with Flutterwave

Uber is in the middle of a bruising battle for dominance in east Africa’s largest economy: Kenya. The ride-hailing company started operating in the cities of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Thika last year. It has already outlasted the online cab operator Easy Taxi, which opted out of the Kenyan market in May this year following a decision by one of its backers, Goldman Sachs, to direct all its investments towards the more profitable Uber. However, Uber now has a new domestic rival: Safaricom. It’s one of Kenya’s largest companies, 40%…

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Becomes the 475th City To Get Uber

June 16, 2016 Dianne Jacobs

After beginning operations in Kampala, Uganda and Accra, Ghana. Uber officially launched in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania yesterday. Uber had earlier on announced their intention to expand to three African countries. The launch of operations in Tanzania marked the accomplishment of Uber’s goals. Tanzania becomes the 475th city to get Uber and the 5th African nation to enjoy the Uber services. Uber is celebrating the launch by giving Tanzanians free rides through the code, ‘Move Tanzania’. Tanzanians can enjoy six free rides over the course of three days. Uber’s existence…