Uber has taken new York by storm since launching here six years ago. Three out of every four for-hire rides New Yorkers take in a car other than a yellow cab now come through the app. But Uber’s aggressive growth and reliance on independent contractors instead of employees and the stream of press reports alleging a sexist company culture have made it an easy scapegoat for the shortcomings of an industry that long resisted innovation, in large part because it enjoyed so much protection from market competition.
Along came Uber and today hailing a car with an app—and having the fare automatically charged to your credit card—is the new normal. The irony is that nobody trusts Uber—even though everyone uses it. That has made the $70 billion company surprisingly vulnerable.
All this helps explain why Uber’s New York executives came to our newsroom last week. They were trying to satisfy critics who have been assailing the company fo
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