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- Uber is arming teams of independent contractors with burner phones and credit cards as part of its sophisticated effort to undermine Lyft and other competitors. Interviews with current and former contractors, along with internal documents obtained by The Verge, outline the company’s evolving methods. Using contractors it calls "brand ambassadors," Uber requests rides from Lyft and other competitors, recruits their drivers, and takes multiple precautions to avoid detection. The effort, which Uber appears to be rolling out nationally, has already resulted in thousands of canceled Lyft rides and made it more difficult for its rival to gain a foothold in new markets. Uber calls the program "SLOG," and it’s a previously unreported aspect of the company’s ruthless efforts to undermine its competitors.
Pretty vicious competition. The story didn't seem to quite give evidence for en-masse cancellations of Lyft drivers. It seemed more to suggest that cancellations would happen if a recruiter hailed a Lyft and received a driver they or a team member had already pitched, -something Uber was trying to actively avoid. All is fair, but it's pretty dickish. I love and use Uber, and I'll keep doing it, but this article about their tactics made me download the Lyft app to check out. I'll give them a whirl next time I'm in an area they serve and I need a ride.