http://jalopnik.com/uber-employees-use-secret-tools-to-target-drivers-and-u-1793495814
Uber Employees Use Secret Tools To Target Drivers And Undercut Competition
Jalopnik 23 March 2017
Three years ago, ride-hailing giant Uber came under investigation for a tool called "God View" that allowed employees to track drivers and customers in real-time. Uber has since scaled that ability back, but Jalopnik has learned the company still deploys a revamped version of it, along with other secret internal tools, to target its drivers who also work for competitors.
The objective is to identify those drivers and incentivize them with bonuses or subsidies to remain loyal to Uber over competitors they may also drive for, say, Lyft, according to sources with knowledge of the program who spoke on condition of anonymity about their existence to Jalopnik.
The details were confirmed by one source with knowledge of the program, and partially confirmed by a separate, former employee. Uber didn't confirm or deny the existence of the tools on the record to Jalopnik.
Uber's tactics here go beyond what has been previously disclosed about the $70 billion ride-hailing giant, and feels uniquely Uber-secretive and somewhat underhanded. For one thing, this particular use of what is now called Heaven View hasn't been previously reported, and the tool itself has been cited in an ongoing lawsuit involving one of the company's former security experts.
It wasn't immediately clear to what extent the tools are currently being used across the company. Though the tools aren't ostensibly used to the detriment of drivers, they underscore the lengths to which Uber will go to influence individuals it doesn't even consider employees, and gain control of markets across the U.S.
It also comes amid a tumultuous time for Uber, as the company has been the subject of numerous controversies in recent weeks, including the revelation that it used a tool called Greyball to specifically target regulators looking into the company.
"It's no secret that ridesharing is really competitive," an Uber spokesperson said in a statement to Jalopnik. "People have lots of choices between different apps and can switch between them really easily, so it's in our interest to make Uber the most attractive option. We mainly do that through product features-like enhanced in-app navigation and Instant Pay-but like all companies we also try to understand how our customers use competing services, so we can better serve them."
One particular scenario described to Jalopnik is tied to when employees use the Uber app. When an Uber employee requests a ride for an Uber driver, the source said, the app prompts them to ask the driver whether or not they drive for a competitor.
"It's in the normal [Uber] app, just shown to employees," the former employee said.
Another tool involves having employees text the license plate numbers of vehicles that appears to belong to a competitive driver, the source said. The information is then stored in a company database. The source went on:
Finally, some teams will actually open [Heaven View] on their computer and the Lyft app on their phone and find drivers in the Lyft app who also appear on Heaven in the same location. Those drivers are then tagged as competitive drivers.
"This all has a 'positive' effect for the driver since they're now targeted with incentives and subsidies aimed at keeping them loyal to Uber," the source said, for instance, with extra bonuses if a certain number of rides were completed. It is not immediately clear what other incentives exist, but Uber does offer guaranteed fares and extra earnings to drivers if they fulfill certain requirements.
The source with knowledge of the effort said the various tools are part of the company's driver recruitment program, known as Operation SLOG-which, as Uber puts it, stands for "Supplying Long-Term Operations Growth."
The SLOG effort dates to the fall 2014, when it was revealed that Uber reportedly hired independent contractors to undermine its arch-rival Lyft by recruiting their drivers through various means-for instance, striking up conversation and getting them to sign up for the ride-hailing giant before the ride is complete.
At the time, Uber confirmed Operation SLOG's existence, but said the tactics were innocuous, at best, and didn't go nearly as far as what was described in reports. The company said, for instance, that it relied on "brand ambassadors" to recruit at publicized events, or used promotions for riders and drivers to attract more drivers to the company.
To be sure, companies utilize market segmentation tools to better understand their employees and customers-and Lyft, for instance, was accused last summer of using similar SLOG measures. (Lyft didn't respond to requests for comment.)
And there's plenty of drivers to go after: it's well-known that most work for more than one service. One survey suggested as many as two-thirds of drivers work for at least two ride-hailing companies.
The source said Heaven View has a function that specifically allows it to view drivers. The SLOG-ing tools are used only to target drivers for other ride-hailing apps, according to the source, "never taxis." It's unclear to what extent that particular tool is currently being used, especially in the aftermath of Greyball.
"Most large cities have enough SLOG data to get what they need right now, the source said, "so SLOG-ing is more prevalent in medium to small cities."
[ continued in reply ]
Uber Employees Use Secret Tools To Target Drivers And Undercut Competition
Jalopnik 23 March 2017
Three years ago, ride-hailing giant Uber came under investigation for a tool called "God View" that allowed employees to track drivers and customers in real-time. Uber has since scaled that ability back, but Jalopnik has learned the company still deploys a revamped version of it, along with other secret internal tools, to target its drivers who also work for competitors.
The objective is to identify those drivers and incentivize them with bonuses or subsidies to remain loyal to Uber over competitors they may also drive for, say, Lyft, according to sources with knowledge of the program who spoke on condition of anonymity about their existence to Jalopnik.
The details were confirmed by one source with knowledge of the program, and partially confirmed by a separate, former employee. Uber didn't confirm or deny the existence of the tools on the record to Jalopnik.
Uber's tactics here go beyond what has been previously disclosed about the $70 billion ride-hailing giant, and feels uniquely Uber-secretive and somewhat underhanded. For one thing, this particular use of what is now called Heaven View hasn't been previously reported, and the tool itself has been cited in an ongoing lawsuit involving one of the company's former security experts.
It wasn't immediately clear to what extent the tools are currently being used across the company. Though the tools aren't ostensibly used to the detriment of drivers, they underscore the lengths to which Uber will go to influence individuals it doesn't even consider employees, and gain control of markets across the U.S.
It also comes amid a tumultuous time for Uber, as the company has been the subject of numerous controversies in recent weeks, including the revelation that it used a tool called Greyball to specifically target regulators looking into the company.
"It's no secret that ridesharing is really competitive," an Uber spokesperson said in a statement to Jalopnik. "People have lots of choices between different apps and can switch between them really easily, so it's in our interest to make Uber the most attractive option. We mainly do that through product features-like enhanced in-app navigation and Instant Pay-but like all companies we also try to understand how our customers use competing services, so we can better serve them."
One particular scenario described to Jalopnik is tied to when employees use the Uber app. When an Uber employee requests a ride for an Uber driver, the source said, the app prompts them to ask the driver whether or not they drive for a competitor.
"It's in the normal [Uber] app, just shown to employees," the former employee said.
Another tool involves having employees text the license plate numbers of vehicles that appears to belong to a competitive driver, the source said. The information is then stored in a company database. The source went on:
Finally, some teams will actually open [Heaven View] on their computer and the Lyft app on their phone and find drivers in the Lyft app who also appear on Heaven in the same location. Those drivers are then tagged as competitive drivers.
"This all has a 'positive' effect for the driver since they're now targeted with incentives and subsidies aimed at keeping them loyal to Uber," the source said, for instance, with extra bonuses if a certain number of rides were completed. It is not immediately clear what other incentives exist, but Uber does offer guaranteed fares and extra earnings to drivers if they fulfill certain requirements.
The source with knowledge of the effort said the various tools are part of the company's driver recruitment program, known as Operation SLOG-which, as Uber puts it, stands for "Supplying Long-Term Operations Growth."
The SLOG effort dates to the fall 2014, when it was revealed that Uber reportedly hired independent contractors to undermine its arch-rival Lyft by recruiting their drivers through various means-for instance, striking up conversation and getting them to sign up for the ride-hailing giant before the ride is complete.
At the time, Uber confirmed Operation SLOG's existence, but said the tactics were innocuous, at best, and didn't go nearly as far as what was described in reports. The company said, for instance, that it relied on "brand ambassadors" to recruit at publicized events, or used promotions for riders and drivers to attract more drivers to the company.
To be sure, companies utilize market segmentation tools to better understand their employees and customers-and Lyft, for instance, was accused last summer of using similar SLOG measures. (Lyft didn't respond to requests for comment.)
And there's plenty of drivers to go after: it's well-known that most work for more than one service. One survey suggested as many as two-thirds of drivers work for at least two ride-hailing companies.
The source said Heaven View has a function that specifically allows it to view drivers. The SLOG-ing tools are used only to target drivers for other ride-hailing apps, according to the source, "never taxis." It's unclear to what extent that particular tool is currently being used, especially in the aftermath of Greyball.
"Most large cities have enough SLOG data to get what they need right now, the source said, "so SLOG-ing is more prevalent in medium to small cities."
[ continued in reply ]
