, Columnist
Even Uber Can't Live Up to the Expectations It Set
A whole field of apps tried to be "Uber for X." But the golden age of Uber may be ending already.
"Uber for groceries"? It sounded good at the time.
Photographer: Taylor Weidman/BloombergIn record time, “Uber for X” has gone from big-money venture-capital pitch to tired old joke. Everyone wants to write an app that disrupts some big industry. How many people are succeeding?
Not many, argues Farhad Manjoo. Parking, grocery shopping and takeout are just a few of the many industries that have been pitched as ripe for disruption, offering consumers better service at lower cost. And that pitch actually seemed to make sense, when services were still in the first flush phase of their VC infusions, and offering their product at a loss in order to build a labor force and customer share.