In some ways Uber was obvious as soon as iPhones came out.
- In some ways Uber was obvious as soon as iPhones came out.
- The phone was a remote control for the real world.[zl]
- One that you always had in your pocket no matter where you were.
- The surprising thing about Uber was that regular users would be willing to get into cars with strangers.
- One reason it worked is reputation scores for both drivers and the rider.
- The rider knew that if the driver had done something nefarious they were one user report away from being banned.
- Vice versa for the driver about the rider.
- The larger the body of good scores, the more you'd lose if you threw it all away for one opportunistic robbery etc.
- Plus, there would be a digital trail that would make it very easy to prosecute.
- In a way, your reputation becomes a form of digital collateral.
- Services like AirBnB leaned into this digital collateral idea even harder, having hosts and guests attach their Facebook profiles.