Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp co-founded Uber, initially called UberCab, in 2009.
The service began in San Francisco as a way to request a car through a smartphone application. Garrett Camp developed the original concept after finding taxis inconvenient, while Travis Kalanick joined the project and helped turn it into a company. The first Uber rides took place in San Francisco in 2010.
The company dropped “Cab” from its name in 2011 after expanding beyond traditional taxi-style service. Uber then grew into a platform offering rides, food delivery, freight services, and other products in many countries. Kalanick was Uber’s chief executive for much of its early expansion, while Camp remained associated with the company as a co-founder and board member. Uber’s early launch was limited to a small fleet of cars rather than a worldwide network.