Would you hold it against Uber?

Does money change our thinking? How big an influence does money has on us?

I can hardly imagine how a millionaire or billionaire thinks and behaves. We always hear how those from higher social class tend to see themselves differently than others.

I’d like to think that however different they set themselves apart from the rest of us, they would make full use of their influence and power to do more good and bring about positive change.

Let’s call a spade a spade, who does not want to be called as “the market leader”, “the most profitable company”, “the best of its class” or “a visionary CEO”?

The recent controversies surrounding Uber Technologies, a smartphone based car service company with multi-billion dollar valuation have gotten the media buzzing about — how far down the path of “disrupting the conventional” is considered to be acceptable?

A lot has been said about how the company operates. Scouring through a dozen articles on the Internet, words such as “arrogance”, “egoistic”, “thuggish” repeatedly popped up.

Uber, just like many other startups, was created in its founder’s image.

Uber

The recent controversies surrounding Uber Technologies, a smartphone based car service company with multi-billion dollar valuation have gotten the media buzzing about how far down the path of “disrupting the conventional” is considered to be acceptable? - File Photo

At the helm of Uber is the CEO and Co-Founder Travis Kalanick, who is known for his aggressive business strategies while feverishly pushing the envelop within a well entrenched transportation service industry. In his quest to conquer the market, he has made recurring references to crushing the taxi industry (and many other controversial remarks).

I do not know him personally but surely a part of him is motivated by the “feel good factor” in relation to how good his company has been performing.

This really got me thinking: if Uber’s CEO was a more compassionate and well-loved individual, would Uber be the company it is today? At the other end of the spectrum, surely ruthlessness is not the only way to pave the way for success.

My first Uber ride was in San Francisco. In a city far away from home, I was instantly blown away by the service and became a fan overnight.

I could understand why when my friend who lives in San Francisco often “Uber” his way around the city. The user experience was neat, fast and effortless. I was truly fascinated by Uber.

How can it not be fascinating when Uber is, at its core a service offered in the form of a mobile application, raking up serious profits while revolutionising the on-demand car service in 250 cities in 50 countries around the world?

I'm all for technological transition where the established makes way for new players set out to evolve the widely accepted way of life. Can you imagine the life before Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube?

It is believed that some people become successful company founders because they have the right entrepreneurial traits or startup DNA, who often embody characteristics like “driven”, "resilience" and “risk taking”.

Uber’s CEO has all of the above, and more. He may behave and run the company, as they say, with a “street-fighter ethos”, at the end of the day it still offers a great service.

While bad press have shed a negative light on Uber, I am not deleting the app from my smartphone any time soon.

As a consumer, what I want is simple: a safe, effortless, neat, fast and convenient way to roam about the city.

The question remains, what is the right way to do business? Should the investors pull out their funding? Should we stop using Uber?

When the company is going all out to ensure it could make a dent in an established industry; when the company is profitable; and especially when the service is so good, do you hold it against Uber for “bending or breaking the norm of doing business”?

"Nothing sedates rationality like large doses of effortless money.” - Warren Buffett