Go/no-go strategy for an Uber dockless scooter service in San Francisco, circa 2018

You are a product manager at Uber, but the clock is set back about seven to eight years from when this question was asked (roughly 2017–2018), when app-unlocked shared electric scooters were just starting to appear on city streets. Leadership wants your recommendation: should Uber move into e-scooters in San Francisco, and if so, how? Make a clear call, explain why it does or does not fit Uber's strategy at that time, and describe how you would enter and how you would know it is working. ```hint Start from Uber's position Before debating scooters, ask what Uber's core business needs in that period and which city trips its app serves badly; the case for or against scooters should follow from that gap. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is leadership mainly after new revenue, defending Uber's place as the default app for every city trip, or feeding riders into its existing ride services? - Is San Francisco a stand-alone bet, or the first city in a rollout that would follow if it works? - Are building a fleet, buying an existing scooter operator and partnering with one all on the table, and how much capital is leadership willing to put at risk? - Should the plan assume the city's rules for scooters are still unsettled, so that operating may require a permit Uber does not yet hold? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A clear recommendation anchored in what Uber needs strategically in that period, not in scooter hype alone - Which San Francisco riders and trips scooters would serve, and how those trips overlap with Uber's car products - The entry model (build, acquire or partner) weighed on speed, control, capital and the burden of running a hardware fleet - Vehicle economics and city regulation treated as the central risks, with a launch plan that tests them cheaply - A success metric for the scooter business plus guardrails for cannibalization, safety and compliance ### Follow-up Questions - The city caps the number of scooters and awards the permits to two competitors instead of your partner. What do you do now? - Your pilot shows strong ride counts, but scooters are being retired after a few weeks of use. How does that change your recommendation? - Should scooters live inside the main Uber app or in a separate app, and how would you decide?