Mainstreaming of Uber via Descriptions in the New York Times
Skift Take
Uber has gone from an unknown mobile app to a global service whose ambitious, and at times reckless, growth has brought it into the mainstream in cities around the world.
Uber is one of the highest valued and fastest growing startups to emerge in recent years and its ambitious global expansion has made it hot topic in cities around the world.
However, the word “uber” had a very different meaning just four years ago when the company’s name was first mentioned in the New York Times.
Following up on our post that tracked how the New York Times described Airbnb throughout its existence, we looked at how Uber has been mainstreamed over the years. The company was first mentioned in the newspaper in March 2011 as part of a roundup of new tech companies at South by Southwest.
Uber was initially described as, and operated as, a mobile app for hiring a car service, but it quickly t
