are selfishly looking only at their returns-on-investments, which is why Uber is in such a mess. By turning your contract workers into full-time soldiers you will create your own army familiar with the locals and establish sound client-driver relationships (got that one from Nancy Copeland, one of my LinkedIn connection). Nothing like seeing a familiar face yet again, it will help re-establish the trust you need with your riders. As it stands, Uber has no army, just a bunch of mercenaries working for the highest bidder. In the history of humankind, no one has ever won a war with mercenaries. A battle or two—yes—but not a war.
Also, limit the number of part-timers in a given area, this should be pretty easy. Use zip codes, area codes or whatever. You have the info and the algo army to fix this, quickly. And ensure all drivers do not wander out of territory. If you live in San Bernardino, CA, you shouldn’t be able to Uber in Beverly Hills in hopes to make some quick dough. Turn their connections off. Some may call this protectionism, but I call it sustainability. Protect your core assets—your full-timers.
Now comes the hardest part—Uber’s board. Some may implement delicate surgery but I recommend a different tool—a sledgehammer. Seriously! I am not a violent person but you know what they say—the right tool for each job. Was going to (highly) recommend you get rid of Bill Gurley who is deeply complicit in furthering Uber’s bro culture, but that took care of itself. Forgive my critical thinking skills but during his six-year tenure as a director and all the fiduciary responsibilities associated with the position, Uber did not fill key executive positions—President/COO, CMO, CFO, and General Counsel amongst others. Not sure if they ever tried? And the spending—whew! Bigger than many countries’ GDPs. I know my birth land Macedonia could have used some of those billions.
Also insist or, better yet, DEMAND on removing both founders from the Board. Garrett Camp—Uber’s chairman—seems like a great guy. But, as it is so often the case, companies have a way of outgrowing their founders. Long ago, it happened to me. As Uber’s chairman he, along with the Gurley man himself , is complicit in Uber’s current turmoil. It happened on his watch, time to show him the door with a fulltime Uber driver awaiting. And as far as Travis is concerned he will be a big distraction because he is still hurting and will be hurting for a long time. To be fair, he did not just help Uber turn into a globally dominant payer but, almost singlehandedly, changed an entire industry. And as much as I like the young man he is in deep, deep denial and is already contemplating a Steve Jobs-esque return. Trust me, they all do. Travis is a fighter—brawler, if you will—but that is not what Uber needs now. And, he is also an emotional mess and needs time off. I recommend he visit my birth land and spend time in Lake Ohrid doing that Antony Bourdain thing—eating with the locals and drinking some homemade shliv. That will definitely clear the mental fog we all experience after a traumatic event.
Lastly, you will need new board members. Work with Arianna Huffington—the business version of Helen of Troy—to get some badly needed fresh blood. I recommend Sheryl Sandberg for obvious reasons (but not as the CEO), George Conrades—one super gent and an experienced executive who has seen it and done it all—and Mark Cuban (my second-favorite Hurryin’ Hoosier). That would be an All-Star Board, and one that would keep you in check. After all, that is their fiduciary responsibility, first and foremost. And don’t even think about an IPO, in fact don’t even mention it! Head down, feet forward, tail up.
In conclusion, I also have numerous other valuable recommendations but those are not pro-bono. And I truly hope you fix Uber because if you don’t, the new Borg will likely drone in from right under your nose and Lyft your industry overnight. Once that happens we both know resistance will be futile.
