It's easy to see why Uber would look on a Super Bowl hosted near its Bay Area home would look on the event as a large PR opportunity. Disgruntled Uber drivers see it the same way.
"A disruptive smartphone app turned Uber into a $50 billion global juggernaut. Now a group of disgruntled Uber drivers, with the help of their own smartphone app, aims to kneecap the car-hailing service precisely when and where it will be most in demand: Super Bowl Sunday in the Bay Area," according to an article by Josh Harkinson.
Uber is deeply invested in the Super Bowl this year, which is being hosted in its backyard in Santa Clara, about an hour from its headquarters in San Francisco. Ashley Rodriguez broke the news about Uber's involvement with the festivities in January: "Uber is also providing at least $250,000 to $500,000 in cash and services to sponsor the Super Bowl Host Committee, responsible for all logistics on game day, including transportation, the committee told Quartz."
In exchange, according to Rodriguez, "the Uber will have its own pickup and drop-off zones at the stadium, the company told Quartz. It will be the first ride-sharing service allowed to access a Super Bowl stadium on game day."
Back to Harkinson's report of potential workers' action on Super Bowl Sunday, a group called United Uber Workers "has pledged to hold a massive strike on Super Bowl Sunday, and some Uber drivers in other cities have said they will do the same in solidarity." The protest will involve "[slowing] highway traffic near the stadium and inundate the streets around crowded Super Bowl events in San Francisco."
Read the full story: Fed-Up Uber Drivers Aim to Disrupt Super Bowl 50—With Their Own Mobile App
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