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For years, transportation app Uber forged a reputation for its unwillingness to compromise as it stormed with its ride-sharing program into various cities in defiance of local taxi rules. In December, however, Uber negotiated a truce with the city of Portland after trying to bring its services here.
Now the company can't seem to stop pacifying the government regulators it once jeered.
Mayor Charlie Hales bragged Friday in his annual "State of the City" speech about the city's deal with Uber making headlines.
"Check out the front page of The Wall Street Journal today," Hales said, "you'll see that we're noticed for working with private, nonprofit [sic] ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft."
In fact, both the Journal and The New York Times have taken notice of a shift in Uber's normally combative tactics.
On Dec. 18, Hales and Commissioner Steve Novick wrangled an extraordinary concession from Uber: It would retreat from the city for three months to give city officials time to rewrite taxi rules. That was the first time Uber had voluntarily left a U.S. market after entering.
The Times and Journal stories suggest Uber has taken the retreat as an opportunity to soften its image. The Journal reports the Portland compromise has become Uber's new model:
Before everyone starts hugging and gleefully driving doughnuts through city parking garages, however, remember this: Portland still has a cab industry that doesn't want the rules rewritten.
Uber is telling Journal reporters it expects to be operating in Portland by April—by which time the city may not have finalized changes to its taxi regulations. And city officials are counting on Uber handing over data on its pick-ups and prices, something the company has been loath to do.
Hales hinted at those obstacles in Friday's speech.
"Now understand," the mayor said, "we will do this only when we can ensure these companies embrace our values that include public safety and equal access."
WWeek 2015