Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp founded Uber, the ride-hailing startup originally called UberCab.
Camp developed the core idea after finding taxis difficult to obtain and private transportation expensive. Kalanick joined the project as an adviser and co-founder, helping turn the concept into a company. Ryan Graves was Uber’s first chief executive, but Kalanick later became CEO and led much of its rapid expansion.
Uber’s first service was narrower than the modern platform: it began with luxury black cars rather than ordinary drivers. The company’s public service launched in San Francisco in 2011, then expanded internationally and added options such as UberX, food delivery, freight, and courier services.
A common mix-up is treating every ride-hailing company as interchangeable. Lyft, Ola, and Didi are competitors, not alternate names for Uber. Uber’s founders are generally listed as Camp and Kalanick, while other early executives and engineers played important roles in building the service.