The food and people delivery company is on trial this week for a lawsuit by a woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by a driver she hired through the Uber app. The lawsuit specifies that the alleged victim was intoxicated when she got into the vehicle. Will 2026 be the year in which alcohol ceases to be a productive line of defense for those accused of sexual assault!? We doubt it, but it is worth noting that the company faces 3,000 similar lawsuits, and this is the first trial of this kind for Uber in federal court. Thus, its results could prove impactful for the slew of lawsuits that have yet to be resolved. Uber claims that its background checks for drivers are sufficient. The company also maintains that its drivers are independent contractors, as opposed to employees, and thus they should not be held responsible for their actions.
In an interview with Kara Swisher, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi argues that due to advances in AI and robotaxis, the era of humanless driving is upon us. If that’s truly the case, then perhaps this new era will be much safer for passengers.
