Über (German pronunciation: ['y?b?], sometimes written uber /'u?b?r/ in English-language publications) is a German language word meaning over, above or across.
In 2011, the company changed its name from UberCab to Uber after complaints from San Francisco taxicab operators. The company's early hires included a nuclear physicist, a computational neuroscientist, and a machinery expert who worked on predicting arrival times for Uber's cars more accurately than Google APIs.
The Uber mission statement is “to provide transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere, for everyone.” And the Uber vision statement is “to ignite opportunity by setting the world in motion.”
It comes from German über, meaning 'over', which came into English as das Übermensch 'Superman' from Nietzsche's writings. English doesn't have the right vowels to say über, especially capitalized, but the recent advent of the ride-sharing Uber company has made it more popular with /u/ instead of /ü/.
Uber drivers don't see anything but the first name you gave to Uber and whatever address you're being picked up at, or that you're having food dropped off at. We don't have any of your information at all, and after the ride or delivery is completed, the address gets deleted from the app.
What happened? Well, as predicted, Uber didn't want to spend the $9 Billion that Lyft was asking for. In 2014, Uber tried to acquire the app with no success. Then, in 2019, Uber was prepared to buy Lyft for $7 Billion, but the ship had sailed, and Lyft rejected the idea, and instead stayed a separate entity.
Uber Black matches riders with top-rated drivers driving luxury vehicles for a higher price. Whether for a business meeting or a special night out, riders rely on Uber Black for a 5-star experience.
Uber revenue by regionThe US & Canada are still responsible for the majority of Uber's revenue, with $19.4 billion of the $31.8 billion made in 2022 coming from those two countries.