You re asking somebody who has a wife and is really happily married, So, what s your next wife going to be like? And I m like, What?
— Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, on whether he d sell to Google, which is an investor in the San Francisco company.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the outspoken Kalanick talks about his high-profile company, which lets customers summon rides using a smartphone app. At any given moment, Uber is likely to be getting flak from regulators (over the legality of its service and more), customers (over surge pricing and more) or its own drivers (over tipping and more) . And of course, Uber is in an epic competition with rival Lyft.
For example, Lyft is suing its former chief operating officer, Travis VanderZanden, accusing him of taking confidential information before hopping on over to Uber. Lyft has also loudly complained that Uber is trying to poach its drivers, something Uber has admitted to and chalked up to Marketing 101. But wait, there s more. Lyft has accused Uber of calling for, then canceling, thousands of rides.
What does Kalanick have to say about Lyft? That his company has tried to lure that company s investors away. We knew that Lyft was going to raise a ton of money. And we are going [to their investors], Just so you know, we re going to be fundraising after this, so before you decide whether you want to invest in them, just make sure you know that we are going to be fundraising immediately after, he told Vanity Fair.
Kalanick talks tough. He also talks big. We want to get to the point that using Uber is cheaper than owning a car. Transportation that s as reliable as running water, he told Vanity Fair. And: If we can get you a car in five minutes, we can get you anything in five minutes.
Photo by Associated Press
