You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself." – Samuel Levenson.
Ola is fighting a tough battle against Uber in India. We are uncertain if you follow Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's business strategies to improve Ola or not, but we have a few suggestions based on Uber's mistakes that could take you a long way.
Uber and the company's CEO are not new to controversies. If you are already following Kalanick, you'd probably know the things you should avoid to become a target of public criticism. Assuming you've scrolled through most of them without noticing, here are some handpicked instances that you must take lessons from if you started off Ola as more than a "lifestyle thing."
Sexual harassment is a serious concern
If you disregard this, there's a lot of trouble coming your way. There have been instances of Ola drivers sexually harassing their passengers, which we sincerely hope is not a result of your liking towards Uber. But we must say this, Uber's sexual harassment cases have been far worse, and it is a strong reminder to make sure that never happens at your end. Treat your employees and passengers right Mr. Aggarwal, as they make the company.
Don't Upset your VCs, or even the people who work for you
Not long ago, early investors in Uber Mitch and Freada Kapor wrote an open letter to Uber, highlighting the shocking silence from the company's board and investors towards sexism, sexual harassment and horrendous management at Uber. It was rightly noted by the duo that Uber was never shy of apologising, but repeating the same mistakes again doesn't make quite a good example out of an apology, does it?
If your VCs and investors are voicing out their concerns over the public spat your company is facing, that's a red sign. Making sure things are running smoothly and nothing slips under your nose is utmost important for a leader behind a successful company such as yourself.
But that doesn't mean you do not make sure the people who work for you (employees and drivers) are left out in the cold to dry. A video of Kalanick had emerged online where he was seen engaging in a verbal argument with a driver, who was complaining about Uber lowering fares of luxury cabs. In case it doesn't ring a bill, hit play below:
Kalanick did issue an apology after that. But he could have avoided this whole instance if he wanted to. Being kind to people doesn't cost much.
Avoid getting sued for stealing patented technology (even better, don't steal in the first place)
You are a taxi aggregating company, and we understand there are limited resources to fund your R&D. We also understand the need to stay ahead of the trend and competition. While it is good to be competitive, it is also important to follow some laws. Unlike Uber, which was sued by Google's Waymo for stealing its self-driving car technology, after an ex-employee who worked on Google's self-driving car project used the patented technology to build a fleet of autonomous cars for Uber.
Don't piss off the public
Unless you were off to some island without internet or civilisation, you must know the #DeleteUber campaign, which drove the company's CEO to take some immediate actions. The hashtag was trending on Twitter after thousands of people deleted the app and tweeted about it. What happened then? Kalanick withdrew his position from U.S. President Donald Trump's advisory council, which proposed a ban on immigrants from seven countries.
According to the New York Times, more than 200,000 people deleted their Uber accounts, which is a serious number. So, be sure never to piss off the public with what you do. Make sure it is in the best interest of the consumers, as they help you run the company.
Never call your opponent an "a*****e"
We understand business, competition and all, but what's really the need to call your opponent an "a*****e." Uber is doing great and dominating several markets around the world, but a little healthy competition could go a long way. We haven't heard Tim Cook call his rivals anything, and he runs Apple for crying out loud.
Ola can learn from this, grow and still be respectable towards its rivals. After all, it's the choice of words.
