I’ll Call an Uber”: Why This Phrase Might Define the Next Decade

There aren’t many companies that I regularly engage with as a customer. I live a fairly minimalist life. I don’t chase brands, I don’t impulse-buy tech, and I rarely get excited about the latest consumer product drops. But there’s one company that’s been a consistent part of my everyday routine for years—and that’s Uber.

I’ve been a happy Uber customer for quite a while now. Whether it’s getting from point A to B or ordering a meal after a long workday, the customer journey with Uber has always been frictionless, intuitive, and—most importantly—reliable. It’s the kind of convenience that sneaks into your life quietly, but once it’s there, it’s hard to imagine living without it.

What’s fascinating is how seamlessly Uber cross-sold me from rides to food. One day, I’m booking a ride to a meeting. The next, I’m opening the same app to get sushi delivered to my doorstep. Uber Eats just appeared in my routine, and it stayed there. That’s powerful. That’s customer lifetime value in action. And that’s also one of the subtle signs of a company building a deep moat.

But something changed last week.

For the first time ever, I hailed a Waymo autonomous taxi in Austin, TX—and instantly fell in love. The moment I sat in that vehicle, it felt like a small leap into the future. No driver, no small talk, no need to adjust anything. It just worked. I ended up using the service almost every day for the rest of the week, partially because I wanted to experience it, but also because I genuinely preferred it.

This wasn’t just a “cool tech” moment. It was product-market fit in real time.

Now here’s where things get really interesting: that autonomous ride was booked through Uber. Uber is partnering with Waymo, and this collaboration might be the sleeping giant of the entire autonomous driving revolution.

Waymo, as of now, doesn’t seem interested in building its own consumer-facing platform. It’s not trying to become the next Uber. Instead, it seems content being the autonomous taxi layer on Uber. That tells me something important: Uber might not need to build the AV future to win it. They just need to aggregate the best supply and offer a world-class user experience—something they already do incredibly well.

It reminded me of a moment just a few days ago at Frankfurt International Airport. Uber has a dedicated pickup station right outside the Lufthansa terminal. No confusing signage, no wandering around trying to find your driver. It’s clearly marked, clearly branded, and—again—just works. That’s more than convenience. That’s infrastructure. That’s physical moat-building.

You can feel Uber digging deeper into the global transportation stack—not just digitally, but in the real world.

Now, I know this might be controversial, but here’s my take: Uber has a very real chance to win the autonomous taxi race without being the tech leader. They’re positioning themselves as the platform that owns the customer relationship. If Waymo becomes the exclusive AV provider on Uber, and Uber remains the default name people associate with “getting a ride,” that’s a powerful combo.

Peter Lynch famously said: “Buy what you know.” And while my life isn’t exactly brand-heavy, Uber is one of the few companies I truly know—as a customer, almost every week.

As a stock, Uber’s not a hidden gem. It’s not unknown. But I don’t need it to be. I’m not here looking for a 10% return. I’m hunting for asymmetric opportunities—10x ideas with real, long-term upside.

Uber, at its current price range, might just be one of them.

If they keep executing at this pace…

If they keep innovating like they have been…

If they go even deeper into our behavior and vernacular—where “calling an Uber” becomes as natural as “googling something”…

Then yes—I can see a $1 trillion valuation on the horizon.

It reminds me of early-stage Meta. Not because the businesses are identical, but because the behavioral dominance is forming in similar ways. The company is becoming a habit. That’s rare. That’s powerful.

So I’ll continue watching Uber closely. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll take a meaningful bet soon.

As a side note, Bill Ackman—one of the sharpest minds in modern investing—is also a shareholder in Uber. While that doesn’t play a major role in my thesis, it’s certainly not a bad sign either.