Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber

by Mike Isaac

Zimride focused mostly on long-distance carpooling between college campuses, something co-founder Logan Green had been obsessed with since his days at UC Santa Barbara. But despite working long hours with his partner, John Zimmer, Zimride was mired in the doldrums. Peer-to-peer sharing—the kind Sunil Paul was pursuing at Sidecar—presented an interesting opportunity. Kalanick was growing nervous. Across town at Uber’s headquarters, he had heard about Zimride’s plans, and he had heard whispers about Sunil Paul’s escapades, too. Kalanick considered Mark Zuckerberg a friend—or at least a familiar acquaintance—and the Facebook CEO had given Kalanick a heads up. Facebook employees were going crazy for Sidecar, Zuckerberg told him. Zuckerberg warned Kalanick that he might want to keep an eye on the company. Soon after, Green and Zimmer announced their pivot. Zimride would abandon its long-distance carpooling program and launch a new service called Lyft; the plan was to make casual ride-sharing a fun, friendly experience, asking passengers to ride shotgun next to their drivers and strike up friendships while joyriding to their destination. The cherry on top was a cutesy pink mustache. Lyft sent all of its drivers giant, whimsical, plush hood ornaments to affix to the front of their cars.* It was an instant hit. Kalanick sprang into action. He told his lieutenants, Ryan Graves and Austin Geidt, to take care of Lyft before it grew into a real threat. Graves, Geidt, and especially Ka...

Lyft gets serious and Uber tries to knee-cap them