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20Growth: Uber's Expansion Playbook for Scaling from 10 Cities to $10BN in Revenue | How Uber Acquired 1M Drivers | How Uber Solved the Chicken and The Egg Problem in New Markets and What Uber Would Be Like with Travis Still There with Scott Gorlick

Aug 30, 2024

Scott Gorlick, employee #99 at Uber, shares insights from his pivotal role in expanding Uber from 10 cities to a $10 billion revenue powerhouse. He reveals the driver acquisition strategies that helped secure over a million drivers, including the impact of referral bonuses. Scott discusses the city expansion tactics employed, showcasing the interplay of promotions and timing, and reflects on how under Travis Kalanick's leadership, Uber's direction might have differed today. His anecdotes highlight the challenges of rapid growth and the lessons learned in a fiercely competitive landscape.

41:43

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Scott Gorlick

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Quick takeaways

Uber's city expansion strategy included tailored local teams that adapted to market needs, enhancing rapid growth and profitability.

Innovative driver acquisition tactics combined grassroots marketing and incentives, crucial for onboarding while addressing retention and demand challenges.

Deep dives

Uber's City-Specific Startup Approach

Uber approached each city as an individual startup, curating teams tailored to local markets. The launch team would consist of a general manager, who operated like a city CEO, and an operations manager overseeing driver functions. This model ensured focused leadership to adapt quickly to the unique demands of each new market. The targeted hiring of skilled individuals with backgrounds in banking, consulting, and MBA programs was integral to implementing effective city expansion strategies.

Leverage Community and Incentives for Growth

00:46

Inspire Loyalty Through Shared Mission

01:07

Local Presence Creates Competitive Advantage

01:14

Intro

4min

From Driver to Dynamo: Building Uber in Atlanta

12min

Understanding User Retention Metrics for Riders and Drivers

2min

Uber's Strategic Rollout and Market Dominance

5min

Uber's Urban Launch Strategy

3min

Navigating Challenges and Leadership Shifts at Uber

14min

Reflections on Uber's Early Days and Interactive Customer Engagement

3min

Scott Gorlick was employee #99 at Uber. Over 6 years, Scott built Uber in Atlanta and helped the company scale from 10 cities to $10B in revenue. Scott is also a prolific angel investor having written early checks into Lime and Standard Cognition to name a few.

In Today's Episode with Scott Gorlick We Discuss:

1. The Driver Acquisition Playbook: Scaling to 1M Drivers

How did Uber acquire 1M drivers? What was the playbook?
What worked? What did not work?
How much of a role did driver-to-driver referral payments have in driver acquisition?
What did Lyft do on the driver acquisition side that Uber should have done?
What did the retention look like for drivers on a 30, 60 and 90 day period?

2. The City Expansion Playbook:

What was the expansion playbook that Uber used for new cities?
What worked in ramping demand in a new city? What did not work?
How much of a role did promotions and discounting play? Lessons from them?
Why did Uber often let Lyft launch in a new market first? What was the benefit of this?
How did Scott see the maturation rate change with new markets opening? How fast did each subsequent market reach profitability?

3. Travis Kalanick and What Uber Could Have Been:

How would Uber be different today if Travis was still in charge?
What are the biggest mistakes that Dara has made with their M&A strategy?
What are some of Scott's biggest leadership lessons from working with Travis?
How did Travis create such strong followership and cult around him?
What were the single biggest management mistakes made by Travis?

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