In what year was Uber founded?

Uber was founded in 2009. The company began as UberCab, an idea associated with Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick for requesting upscale transportation through a mobile phone.

Camp reportedly developed the concept after finding taxis inconvenient and after he and Kalanick spent $800 on a private driver on New Year’s Eve. The early prototype was built with help from Oscar Salazar and Conrad Whelan. Ryan Graves became Uber’s first employee and initially served as chief executive.

The company’s public service launched in San Francisco in 2011, two years after the founding date. That timeline causes a common mix-up: 2009 refers to the company’s origin, while 2011 marks its public launch and the period when the name changed from UberCab to Uber.

Uber first focused on black luxury cars rather than ordinary private vehicles. It later broadened its service, including the lower-cost UberX option in 2012 and personal-vehicle ridesharing in subsequent years.