A Notebook on 17th Street
Belsky: A few blocks from here on 17th Street was the Behance office. Very early days — 2007, maybe 2008. Garrett had just re-acquired his company StumbleUpon from eBay. He was an entrepreneur trying to figure out his next thing, and so was I.
He whips out this notebook and he's like — oh, I'm working on this side project that helps people summon a limo on demand. I'm thinking — you just bought your company back from eBay and you're really starting something else? Aren't we supposed to be focused on one company at a time? But you know Garrett. He had this vision of something he called UberCab.
He whips out this notebook — I'm working on this side project that helps people summon a limo on demand.
Everyone's Taxi vs. Everyone's Private Driver
Belsky: In the early days, Garrett was thinking about whether the brand narrative should be 'everyone's taxi' or 'everyone's personal driver.' It was an interesting brand decision that affected everything.
They wanted to make it like everyone's private driver — this notion of something that only rich people can have. It's an aspirational good. We as consumers always want that. We always want special treatment. We always want to feel special. We want to be known.
Everyone's private driver — this notion of something only rich people can have. It's an aspirational good.
Being Known Wherever You Go
Belsky: When you come into a restaurant and they remember your favorite drink or your allergies — that's an amazing sensation. The whole hospitality industry exists around trying to remember this stuff about us.
We have this opportunity now with agents and AI to be known wherever we go. I want every restaurant to know I'm a vegetarian. I want every shoe store to know my size. I want that. There's this opportunity to have a hyper-personalized world where every digital experience recognizes who we are. A lot of the great brand moments are feeling special as a service.
A lot of the great brand moments are feeling special as a service.