Your next Uber ride might cost you more than just the fare. According to a new report from Business Insider, the rideshare giant is launching a new venture called “Uber Intelligence.” The goal is simple: take the data about where you travel and what you order, and sell it to marketers.
The company’s advertising division is teaming up with a platform called LiveRamp to make this happen. Uber says the data remains anonymous, so advertisers won’t technically know it is you specifically. Instead, brands can combine their own customer lists with Uber’s data to identify broader patterns. For instance, a hotel chain could look at where people frequently take rides to determine which local bars or restaurants to partner with.
However, it goes beyond mere trend-spotting. Uber plans to use this tech to target you with specific ads based on your habits. If the app notices you take frequent trips to the airport, it labels you a “heavy business traveler.” You can then expect to see ads tailored to that profile inside the Uber app or even on tablets inside the vehicle while you ride.
Edwin Wong, a head executive at Uber Advertising, described the process as “seamless.” It is certainly shaping up to be lucrative. The company expects its ad division to pull in $1.5 billion this year alone. This comes as Uber reports a massive jump in total revenue, rising to $44 billion in 2024 from $37 billion in 2023.
This new revenue stream might frustrate users who are already paying more for the service. Uber has increased its fares by roughly 18 percent every year since 2018. That rate is four times higher than inflation in some areas. Despite charging customers significantly more to get from point A to point B, the company is now betting big on selling access to your personal habits to boost its bottom line even further.
