The extraordinary and appalling true story of the rise of Uber

Summer reissue: Uber became one of the biggest companies in the world in a few short years. Duncan Greive reviews Mike Isaac’s extraordinary Super Pumped, which shows the world just what it sacrificed for cheap rides.  First published 29 September, 2019. There are so many stories in Super Pumped, a riveting new account of the … Read more

The extraordinary and appalling true story of the rise of Uber

Uber became one of the biggest companies in the world in a few short years. Duncan Greive reviews Mike Isaac’s extraordinary Super Pumped, which shows the world just what it sacrificed for cheap rides.  There are so many stories in Super Pumped, a riveting new account of the rise of Uber, which seem to capture … Read more

‘Not a level playing field’: NZ restaurants speak out on Uber Eats

Small businesses have told The Spinoff that hefty commission fees from the global delivery giant are pushing them to the brink, and are asking why global fast food chains get a discount. Small hospitality businesses are paying substantially higher commission rates to Uber Eats than fast food giants using the food-delivery app, and some say … Read more

The Spinoff Reviews New Zealand #91: Currizza, the capital’s curry-pizza hybrid

We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alice Neville critiques a curious culinary union.  Fusion cuisine gets a bad rap, but some of the finest dishes on earth are culinary mash-ups. Would you really want to live in a world where there’s no bánh mì, where … Read more

The beloved Auckland eatery that quietly opened an UberEats ‘ghost restaurant’

The popular and staunchly independent Auckland eatery Coco’s Cantina has launched a ghost restaurant on UberEats, and it ‘shows that our industry is not in a healthy place’, says its owner. Over the past couple of weeks, as they idly scrolled through the mind-boggling array of dinner possibilities, Auckland UberEats users may have noticed something … Read more

The app that swallowed Auckland: UberEats, one year on

For thousands of New Zealanders in the past year, food delivery has become synonymous with UberEats as customers love it for its simplicity and convenience. But what about the restaurants? What’s it like to be on the other side of the table? Jihee Junn talks to Auckland restaurant owners to reflect on a year of … Read more