Uber undercut taxis with subsidized rides, then extracted from both sides: higher rider fares, lower driver pay. In April 2025 the FTC sued over Uber One subscription dark patterns, alleging cancellation took up to 23 screens and 32 actions. EnshitifAi's Extraction Index of $89B reflects this documented two-sided extraction, not a measured financial figure.
The Story
Uber was subsidizing rides to destroy the taxi industry. Once that was done, we helped them understand it was time to extract from both sides: charge riders more, pay drivers less, and blame the algorithm.
Common Questions
Is Uber enshittified?
Yes. After using investor cash to undercut and gut the taxi industry, Uber pivoted to extracting from both riders and drivers simultaneously, charging more on one side while paying less on the other. In April 2025 the FTC and 21 states sued over Uber One billing and cancellation practices, and in July 2024 California's Supreme Court upheld Prop 22, keeping its drivers as benefit-free contractors. EnshitifAi treats it as a textbook two-sided extraction case.
What dark patterns does Uber use?
Surge pricing that spikes fares during emergencies, hidden-destination job offers so drivers can't reject bad rides, and upfront pricing that lets Uber pocket the difference on shorter trips. The FTC's April 2025 complaint alleges Uber One cancellation forced users through as many as 23 screens and 32 actions despite a 'cancel anytime' promise, charging roughly $9.99 a month.
Why did Uber drivers stay classified as contractors?
Uber spent over $200 million backing California's Proposition 22 in 2020 to exempt its drivers from employee classification. On July 25, 2024, the California Supreme Court unanimously upheld Prop 22 in Castellanos v. State of California, locking in independent-contractor status and letting Uber avoid standard employee benefits. EnshitifAi reads this as lobbying-driven labor-cost extraction.
When did Uber start enshittifying?
EnshitifAi dates the turn to roughly 2019, once Uber's subsidized-ride land grab had crippled traditional taxis and the company went public. From there the model shifted to raising rider prices, cutting driver pay, and locking in contractor status, culminating in the FTC's April 2025 Uber One dark-patterns lawsuit. The $89B figure is EnshitifAi's editorial Extraction Index, not a company-reported number.
Key Achievements
- 1
Perfected surge pricing to extract maximum value during emergencies
- 2
Reduced driver pay while increasing rider costs (profit = the difference)
- 3
Lobbied to classify drivers as contractors to avoid benefits
- 4
Designed app to hide destination from drivers to prevent ride rejection
- 5
Implemented upfront pricing to pocket the difference when trips are shorter
We disrupted an industry and then became worse than what we replaced. Classic.
D. Khosrowshahi
CEO of Extraction Engineering
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