Uber CEO Exercise: Pick the Company's Next Strategic Priority and Defend It

Imagine you have just become Uber's CEO. What should the company do next? Choose the direction you would set, and explain why it beats the alternatives. ```hint Strengths and threats first Before picking a move, take stock of what Uber's network is uniquely good at today and what could undermine it over the next decade. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - What horizon should I plan for: the next year, or the next five to ten years? - Is the main objective growth, profit, or defending the core ride business, and are there limits on capital spending? - Should the answer cover the whole company (rides, delivery, freight) or focus on one business? - Are acquisitions, or owning vehicles outright, on the table? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A quick, accurate read of Uber's businesses, strengths and threats, based on public knowledge. - Several strategic options compared on impact, Uber's advantage, cost and risk, ending in one clear priority. - A concrete plan for the chosen move, including what Uber would stop or deprioritize. - Effects on every side of the marketplace: riders, delivery customers, drivers and couriers, merchants, partners and regulators. - Metrics and milestones that would show the strategy is working, plus the main risks. ### Follow-up Questions - How would your plan change if self-driving cars reach large-scale deployment much sooner or much later than you expect? - Which current initiative would you cut or shrink to fund your priority, and why? - Driver groups and a major city's regulators push back on your plan. How do you respond?