---
title: "The100: Uber’s research playbook, online delivery models and polyphonic ringtones"
description: UberCool Back in 2017, Uber had a problem. Passengers were so unhappy with UberPool that Uber deemed the service a strategic risk to their brand. A hop, skip and some seriously smart research later, Uber launched ExpressPool, which saw lower cancellations and less complaints. Slum dunk. Daniel Kyne has shared how Uber’s research team helped …
---

[Watch Me Think Blog](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog)

# [The100: Uber’s research playbook, online delivery models and polyphonic ringtones](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-ubers-research-playbook-online-delivery-models-and-polyphonic-ringtones)

 Written by [Fran](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/author/fran) | Sep 19, 2025, 8:30:00 AM

## UberCool

Back in 2017, Uber had a problem. Passengers were so unhappy with UberPool that Uber deemed the service a strategic risk to their brand. A hop, skip and some seriously smart research later, Uber launched ExpressPool, which saw lower cancellations and less complaints. Slum dunk.

Daniel Kyne has shared [how Uber’s research team helped them turn it around. ](https://fullstackresearcher.substack.com/p/steal-this-research-playbook-from)

## “Amazon will certainly have its work cut out”

Following Amazon throwing their hat even further into the grocery delivery mix, Thomas Reiner has been digging into [online grocery delivery models, competition and unit economics](https://www.platformaeronaut.com/p/amazons-latest-grocery-push-mapping).

*“No approach has a clear universal advantage; what works best often depends on the strengths and scale of the player. An aggregator like Instacart leans into scale and network effects (and now ads) to make an asset-light model profitable, whereas a giant retailer like Walmart leverages its physical footprint and accepts slimmer margins to defend its turf. One thing is certain: scale and efficiency are paramount.”*

## “Doing what they wouldn’t even think of doing”

Dave Trott has once again sent my grey matter fizzing. This time with [a piece on creative thought](https://davetrott.co.uk/2025/09/is-creative-strategist-an-oxymoron/) and, using Jaguar’s focus on brakes to go faster as an example, doing things that others wouldn’t think of. Dave also included this belter of a quote from Arthur Schopenhauer:

*“The man of talent is like a marksman who can hit a target no-one else can hit. The man of genius is like a marksman who can hit a target no one else can see.”*

## Lets do the crazy frog (ding ding)

Remember when ringtones were all the rage? As a kid, I couldn’t wait to finally get my own Nokia 3310 and be able to set the ringtone to a 30 second polyphonic version of “Don’t Cha” by The Pussycat Dolls. Nothing would make me cooler. 

However, despite being worth $1.2 billion in 2007, ringtone sales had all but disappeared by 2014. [Daniel Parris has been looking into why:](https://www.statsignificant.com/p/the-rise-and-fall-of-music-ringtones?hide_intro_popup=true)

*“A more tangible explanation for the ringtone’s demise is the waning relevance of the phone call itself. Roughly 50% of modern cell owners set their devices to silent or vibrate, a habit fueled by a growing aversion to phone conversation. A 2023 YouGov survey found that texting is steadily replacing calls as a preferred mode of communication \[…\] Yet the phone call’s creeping obsolescence is not universal. According to this same YouGov poll, India retains a strong preference for phone conversation, making it a notable outlier among all nations surveyed.”*

## And finally…

Jackson Goldstone’s POV from his [winning run at the downhill mountain bike world champs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEcypH7tM28). I had to check whether this had been sped up. Alas, it hasn’t. Holy tree trunks. 

Made using a moving light source and long exposure, [Darren Pearson’s light paintings](https://121clicks.com/inspirations/mesmerizing-light-painting-photography-darren-pearsons/) really are the cat’s pyjamas. And here I am struggling to draw a stickman.

Eminem’s Lose Yourself, but with [each lyric taken from a movie.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYtaBfwpg_k) This might just usurp The Pussycat Dolls as my ringtone.

Bon weekend,

Fran

[View full post](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-ubers-research-playbook-online-delivery-models-and-polyphonic-ringtones)

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