There are tech companies and then there are Uber-tech companies…

Uber , valued at more than , the and the biggest since Alibaba’s in 2014.

Uber is the most recent company to join the titans of the technology sector thanks to its since 2009, two years after the arrival of the iPhone. It enjoyed relatively slow growth until 2013, with its offer of high-end black vehicles to the tech savvy, but everything changed that year with the introduction of Uber X, which made it possible for anybody with a newish, well-maintained car, a driver’s license and a reasonably clean record to work freelance for the company. That year, Google invested $253 million in the company, .

From that moment on, urban transport hasn’t been the same: initial fears of increased accidents or problems with users never materialized, thanks to a system that gave drivers an incentive to treat customers well. Customers soon realized how Uber drivers, worried about maintaining their ranking between four and five stars, provided superior service and treatment to traditional taxis, along with payment through the app, an approach its competitors took years to copy, while many taxis even refused even…