

I recently posted on Facebook a short rant about digital transformation for established enterprises. The skinny is that there are endless amounts of why and barely no opining on the what or how when it comes to executing any kind of digital transformation of your business or industry. Here’s a link to the Facebook post if you want some context.
Not surprisingly, Uber got caught in the crossfire and became the subject of the comments. Folks declared how Uber is an overused example of a digitally disruptive business.
I disagree with the assertion that Uber is overstated. Vehemently so.
Look, I get it. It’s popular to rage against Uber. And “The Uber model, it turns out, doesn’t translate” is even a legitimate and extremely rational argument. The New York Times’ Farhad Manjoo and Homebrew VC Partner, Hunter Walk, sum it up well:
“Investors saw Uber’s success as a template for Ubers for everything. The industry went through a period where we said, let’s look at any big service industry, stick ‘on-demand’ on it, and we’ve got an Uber.”
The fundamental flaw in citing Uber that has led to, well, Uber-esqe fatigue, has been the notion that Uber’s model can be simply forklifted into another domain or industry. Instead, what businesses need help with in fact is the polar opposite: not the forklifting but the unpacking of Uber to identify the two or three most applicable elements from its operating machinery and growth execution that can spark transformative opportunities in your industry.
I lead a business that helps our customers transform how they connect with employees, partners and customers. Our learnings from building a subscriber base of more than 30 million subscribers are very consistent: Beyond euphoric chitchat about popular buzzwords, it is the elements of successful execution witnessed by the Ubers of the world that every board and C-Suite member must ask, if they are to understand what it takes to play and win in the digital economy.
Here goes.
Predicting and fulfilling demand in real time: My Uber driver used to leave her holding spot outside the San Francisco Airport when the ride was confirmed, making it a 7-9 minute drive to the curb. The other day it took her just 4-5 minutes. Uber is figuring out how to predict demand, presumably based on flight schedules, and can dispatch the driver before a passenger even requests a ride.
