Latest news with #TonyXu
Business Insider
18 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
DoorDash's CEO says he gets hundreds of emails weekly from customers and workers. They show it has work to do.
If you email DoorDash CEO Tony Xu feedback on your recent restaurant order, there's a decent chance he'll actually read it. When asked Wednesday during DoorDash's earnings call about challenges facing the company, Xu pointed to the emails he gets daily from restaurants, gig workers, and customers. Many of them point out areas where DoorDash is "falling short," Xu said. "I get several hundred emails a week from all of our audiences, whether it's consumers, Dashers, or merchants," Xu said. "And I don't know if they think that our improvements are very impressive." Xu said he received an email on Wednesday morning that complained that a DoorDash delivery driver had shown up to the wrong parking lot at an apartment building. "That caused a delay in delivery as well as a fear that perhaps the driver wasn't even going to show up," Xu said. Xu said those kinds of issues highlight areas where the company needs to do better. "Every day, I think, is a daily struggle, where the job is to try to make an improvement for that day," Xu said. Please help BI improve our Business, Tech, and Innovation coverage by sharing a bit about your role — it will help us tailor content that matters most to people like you. Continue By providing this information, you agree that Business Insider may use this data to improve your site experience and for targeted advertising. By continuing you agree that you accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . While Xu said some see room for improvement, Wall Street seems generally pleased with DoorDash's growth. The company reported on Wednesday its second-quarter earnings, which largely beat analysts' expectations, and its revenue grew 25% year over year. The company has also been expanding with two acquisitions worth more than $1 billion this year: the UK delivery startup Deliveroo and the restaurant booking service SevenRooms. Emails are one way that Xu has said he keeps track of what using DoorDash is like for the millions of people who use the delivery app. Xu has previously said he has made DoorDash deliveries himself through WeDash, a program in which corporate employees work as Dashers — the company's lingo for delivery workers. This experience has led Xu and others to identify areas of improvement for DoorDash, such as fixing bugs in the app or improving the accuracy of wait times. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has also moonlighted as a ride-hailing driver and delivery worker for the app he helms. He was on the receiving end of "tip baiting," which is when a customer offers a driver a big tip upfront only to take it away after delivery. David Risher, the CEO of Lyft, told Business Insider he also drives for the ride-hailing service about every six weeks.
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
DoorDash CEO says he gets hundreds of emails weekly from customers and workers. They show it has work to do.
DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said that he gets hundreds of emails from workers and customers each week. DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said that he gets hundreds of emails from workers and customers each TechCrunch DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said that he gets hundreds of emails from workers and customers each TechCrunch This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. If you email DoorDash CEO Tony Xu feedback on your recent restaurant order, there's a decent chance he'll actually read it. When asked Wednesday during DoorDash's earnings call about challenges facing the company, Xu pointed to the emails he gets daily from restaurants, gig workers, and customers. Many of them point out areas where DoorDash is "falling short," Xu said. Related video "I get several hundred emails a week from all of our audiences, whether it's consumers, Dashers, or merchants," Xu said. "And I don't know if they think that our improvements are very impressive." Xu said he received an email on Wednesday morning that complained that a DoorDash delivery driver had shown up to the wrong parking lot at an apartment building. "That caused a delay in delivery as well as a fear that perhaps the driver wasn't even going to show up," Xu said. Xu said those kinds of issues highlight areas where the company needs to do better. "Every day, I think, is a daily struggle, where the job is to try to make an improvement for that day," Xu said. Related stories Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know While Xu said some see room for improvement, Wall Street seems generally pleased with DoorDash's growth. The company reported on Wednesday its second-quarter earnings, which largely beat analysts' expectations, and its revenue grew 25% year over year. The company has also been expanding with two acquisitions worth over $1 billion this year: UK delivery startup Deliveroo and restaurant booking service SevenRooms. Emails are one way that Xu has said he keeps track of what using DoorDash is like for the millions of people who use the delivery app. Xu has previously said that he has made DoorDash deliveries himself through WeDash, a program in which corporate employees work as Dashers — the company's lingo for delivery workers. This experience has led Xu and others to identify areas of improvement for DoorDash, such as fixing bugs in the app or improving the accuracy of wait times. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has also moonlighted as a ride-hailing driver and delivery worker for the app he helms. Once when he was on the receiving end of "tip baiting," which is when a customer offers a driver a big tip upfront only to take it away after delivery. David Risher, the CEO of Lyft, told Business Insider that he also drives for the ride-hailing service about every six weeks.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Good news, delivery drivers: DoorDash CEO says robotaxis aren't ready for food delivery
Uber and Tesla are offering ride-hailing trips in self-driving cars in some cities. Getting dinner delivered in an autonomous vehicle is a little harder, DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said. Robotaxis need an "end-to-end" system to make deliveries feasible, Xu said. Don't expect a robotaxi to deliver your DoorDash order anytime soon. Autonomous cars are already shuttling riders around some US cities thanks to a partnership between Uber and Waymo, as well as Tesla's own robotaxi offering. They function much like traditional ride-hailing trips: You request a ride through an app and then get in the car once it arrives. Using AVs to deliver restaurant food and other goods, though, "is actually very different from doing autonomous passenger driving or robotaxis," DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said on the company's earnings call on Wednesday. "The passenger can walk in and walk out of the car, even if the drop-off or pickup locations aren't perfect," Xu said. Deliveries, by contrast, require a more precise hand-off between the restaurant and the vehicle, requiring companies like DoorDash "to solve for the end-to-end system," he said. "That's probably the single biggest learning we've had," Xu said on Wednesday. In April, DoorDash said that it had started making some deliveries in Chicago and Los Angeles with wheeled robots that can navigate sidewalks designed by startup Coco Robotics. DoorDash and Coco previously worked on a pilot program using the robots to make deliveries in Finland through Wolt, DoorDash's international arm. Xu added that DoorDash's experiments with autonomous delivery "have gone great" and that autonomous delivery is "something we're very excited about." Riding in an autonomous vehicle is already an option for some ride-hailing users. In June, Tesla launched a limited version of its robotaxi service in Austin with Tesla safety employees in the passenger seat, and has since expanded to San Francisco with safety employees in the driver's seat. Uber offers fully autonomous rides in Waymos in Atlanta and Austin and has plans to add more self-driving vehicles to its network next year through a partnership with EV-maker Lucid and self-driving technology startup Nuro. For DoorDash, the challenge is moving burgers, groceries, and other stuff from stores to customers' homes. Many of those items can be delivered in smaller, autonomous vehicles, Xu has said. "You don't need a 4,000-pound vehicle to deliver a one- or two-pound item or package," Xu said on an earnings call in May. Do you have a story to share about gig work? Contact this reporter at abitter@ or 808-854-4501. Read the original article on Business Insider Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Business Insider
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Insider
Good news, delivery drivers: DoorDash CEO says robotaxis aren't ready for food delivery
Don't expect a robotaxi to deliver your DoorDash order anytime soon. Autonomous cars are already shuttling riders around some US cities thanks to a partnership between Uber and Waymo, as well as Tesla's own robotaxi offering. They function much like traditional ride-hailing trips: You request a ride through an app and then get in the car once it arrives. Using AVs to deliver restaurant food and other goods, though, "is actually very different from doing autonomous passenger driving or robotaxis," DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said on the company's earnings call on Wednesday. "The passenger can walk in and walk out of the car, even if the drop-off or pickup locations aren't perfect," Xu said. Deliveries, by contrast, require a more precise hand-off between the restaurant and the vehicle, requiring companies like DoorDash "to solve for the end-to-end system," he said. "That's probably the single biggest learning we've had," Xu said on Wednesday. In April, DoorDash said that it had started making some deliveries in Chicago and Los Angeles with wheeled robots that can navigate sidewalks designed by startup Coco Robotics. DoorDash and Coco previously worked on a pilot program using the robots to make deliveries in Finland through Wolt, DoorDash's international arm. Xu added that DoorDash's experiments with autonomous delivery "have gone great" and that autonomous delivery is "something we're very excited about." Riding in an autonomous vehicle is already an option for some ride-hailing users. In June, Tesla launched a limited version of its robotaxi service in Austin with Tesla safety employees in the passenger seat, and has since expanded to San Francisco with safety employees in the driver's seat. Uber offers fully autonomous rides in Waymos in Atlanta and Austin and has plans to add more self-driving vehicles to its network next year through a partnership with EV-maker Lucid and self-driving technology startup Nuro. For DoorDash, the challenge is moving burgers, groceries, and other stuff from stores to customers' homes. Many of those items can be delivered in smaller, autonomous vehicles, Xu has said. "You don't need a 4,000-pound vehicle to deliver a one- or two-pound item or package," Xu said on an earnings call in May.
Miami Herald
09-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
DoorDash accused of purposely misleading its customers
DoorDash (DASH) was founded in 2013 by a small group of Stanford students with the idea of helping small businesses with food delivery. Tony Xu, Andy Fang, Stanley Tang, and Evan Moore were so humble when they launched the business, which was originally called Palo Alto Delivery, that they made food deliveries themselves. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter After getting $120,000 in funding from Y Combinator in trade for a 7% stake in the business, the company renamed itself DoorDash in 2013 and started on a road that would eventually lead to enormous success. While DoorDash wasn't the only food delivery business of its type when it launched - Uber Eats was also in the space - it eventually eclipsed it, becoming the largest food delivery provider by 2019. Related: DoorDash tries controversial method to deliver your meal Today, DoorDash holds the largest market share of 67%, compared to Uber Eats' 23%, per Statistica. The company has also expanded outside the food delivery space, offering everything from flowers to beauty products to pet food. Basically, if you can walk into a store and buy it, DoorDash is willing to bring it to you. But now DoorDash is facing new claims that it purposely misleads its customers, which could have a serious effect on its reputation as a company if proven true. The Competition Bureau announced that it filed a lawsuit against DoorDash and its Canadian subsidiary on Monday for a practice it calls "drip pricing." Drip pricing is a pricing technique in which firms advertise only part of a product's price and reveal other charges later as the customer goes through the buying process, per the Federal Trade Commission's description. More Restaurants: Beloved Mexican restaurant closing iconic location after 63 yearsMajor restaurant chain quietly closes several locationsIconic restaurant closing its doors after 32 years The lawsuit alleges that DoorDash misleads its customers by advertising lower prices that are very different by the time the customer makes it to checkout and fees are tacked on. "The company has been engaging in the alleged conduct for close to a decade, acquiring nearly $1 billion in mandatory fees from consumers," the Competition Bureau said in a statement. The lawsuit also alleges that DoorDash makes certain fees appear as if they are taxes, when they are not. Related: Domino's Pizza suffers a startling loss as customers switch gears It also also asks DoorDash to "stop the deceptive price and discount advertising; stop portraying fees as taxes; pay a penalty; and issue restitution to affected consumers who purchased food and other items through DoorDash's platform." DoorDash gave a statement to TheStreet, saying,"Transparency with customers is a top priority at DoorDash. All fees on DoorDash, which support the high-quality operations of our platform, are clearly labeled and disclosed to consumers through the ordering process - including a final review before payment. To be crystal clear, DoorDash does not hide fees from consumers or mislead them in any way." "This application is a misguided and excessive attempt to target one of Canada's leading local commerce platforms. It unfairly singles out DoorDash, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves against these claims." Live Nation/Ticketmaster is another business that's been accused of deceptive pricing, leading to public outcry. It's faced multiple allegations of tacking on fees that could drive up the cost of a ticket significantly. Its Dynamic Pricing model also allowed people to resell tickets for dramatically higher prices, which many felt was a way of aiding scalpers. The issue was further spotlighted after complaints around ticketing breakdown for Taylor Swift's Eras tour, and many fans sued the company because of the way the event was handled. The Justice Department sued Ticketmaster in May of 2024, swearing to break up what it called a "monopoly" across the live concert industry. This case is currently ongoing. In the meantime, on May 8, 2025, Ticketmaster announced a new model called All In Pricing that would include all fees (not not taxes). Related: Jim Cramer says these hot new stocks are ones to watch The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
