How an outside idea reaches a company, in its own words · checked 2026-10-29
How to sell an idea to Uber
Does not take outside ideas
Uber does not accept or consider ideas it did not ask for. Anything sent anyway becomes Uber’s property without pay and is not kept confidential. It has bought Careem, Postmates and Drizly.
Read off Uber's own pages on
Where pitches like these are made: CES, Las Vegas · Wiidii, CC BY-SA 4.0
In its own words
“(“Uber”) or any of its subsidiaries or employees (“affiliates”) do not accept or consider unsolicited ideas or suggestions from you or other third parties so as to avoid any potential misunderstandings or disputes in the event that Uber’s products, services, or marketing strategies seem similar to unsolicited ideas submitted to Uber.”
What you agree to by sending something
“Your submissions and their contents will automatically become the property of Uber, without any compensation to you;”
“Uber has no obligation to keep your submissions confidential.”
What it has bought from outside
2020
Careem from Careem (Dubai ride-hailing) $3.1 billion
“In January 2020, the company was acquired by Uber for $3.1 billion, including US$ 1.4 billion in cash and US$ 1.7 billion in convertible notes,…” en.wikipedia.org
2020
Postmates from Postmates Inc. US$2.65 billion
“In December 2020, Uber acquired Postmates for US$2.65 billion. [ 21 ] [ 22 ] [ 23 ]” en.wikipedia.org
2021
Drizly (alcohol delivery) from Nick Rellas, Justin Robinson, Spencer Frazier $1.1 billion
“In October 2021, Uber acquired the company for $1.1 billion in cash and stock. [ 10 ]” en.wikipedia.org
Other companies that take an invention or product idea
