Chausito Equipo!

I wanted to share with you my experience with Uber Peru over the last 2 years.  In January of 2016, after 6 weeks of interviewing with Uber from Atlanta, Georgia, I finally got the job!  I knew that leaving my life behind in the United States was the right thing to do.  I started working for the team from S.F. in February 2016 and spent my first 3 months responding to driver tickets until 11pm (using Google Translate). I still remember my flight from the U.S. to Peru.  On my 1 hour layover in Panama, I got a Whatsapp from my GM to send her data ASAP.  The job was intense to say the least...

When I first got to Lima, my GM brought me to the on-boarding center (a tiny space in Barranco) and asked me if I could urgently get to work to fix key issues.  We had 2 experts attending drivers and wait times were above 2 hours on average.  My first job was to hire experts and buy supplies to attend to the drivers.  I had no idea where to buy tables and tv screens so I grabbed our first hire and traveled to the closet mall to buy the cheapest things that seemed functional.

Below is some pics after we hired our first 10 experts and had a pizza party to celebrate!

In August of 2016, working closely with a colleague, we designed and opened our first official driver on-boarding center in Peru with $20K.  Since we didn`t really understand well the municipality system, we accidentally got the wrong license to operate.  After arguing with the municipality for a few weeks, we got the license!

During 2016, being part of the Uber Peru team was an incredible ride.  We were growing like crazy, working our asses off and celebrating each accomplishment.  It was time of Ali and the gang of boys. 

My favorite part of the job was bringing our driver activation centers to life in Peru.  Growing a team of almost 60 experts was the hardest challenge given the language barrier.  However, Sebi, a recent hire, made it all possible.  The best moments were when we went to Arequipa to launch the city.  Handing out flyers on the street to drivers and convincing drivers to join, I felt so connected to our community.

 I also enjoyed when the team put on a special celebration for Mother`s Day with a live mariachi band!  It was these moments where I could really feel the impact we were making on our community.

My time with Uber Peru was incredible because of a team of like minded individuals wanting to make a huge difference.  Often times I felt far away from my family and with only a few friends outside of work, but my coworkers became my family.  We worked hard in several different co-working spaces, often getting kicked out because we didn`t book them correctly.  Yet, it didn`t matter.  Every quarter, we had an offsite event which was a day to have fun away from the job.  

December 2016 

March 2017

August 2017

January 2018

This Monday, my boss asked me how I am feeling.  I told him, "I feel so proud."  I came to Peru to live out a dream and accomplished my objectives.  Along with an amazing team, I helped bring Uber Peru to life from a tiny premium black service to the most popular method of transportation in Peru.  An affordable and safe service that helps thousands of people not only make a good living but provide a safe alternative to dangerous cabs.  

Thank you Ric for being an amazing friend and supporting me through this journey.  We have gone through so many experiences together and seen each other grow immensely.  I can`t wait to see how the city team grows over the next months with your leadership!

Saying goodbye to such an amazing team is never easy.  I remember thinking back on moments where I thought to myself, I don`t know if I will ever be so close to my coworkers in my life.  Each individual is incredibly smart, unique, hard working and brings something special to the table. Sometimes it is easy to forget the impact we are making in the day and day life of others but it is truly incomparable.  

Always stay humble, seek feedback, ask questions and be transparent.  Stay close to our drivers and riders by listening and taking their feedback into account in your day-to-day work.  I can`t wait to come to see how Uber Peru evolves over time and will be rooting for you from SF.  

Love you all,

Ali