But as attendees reach for their phones to order a lift, the king of ridesharing apps is nowhere to be found. But while Uber's Austin gap in service is noteworthy, its absence from SXSW is what's really surprising. Typically, tech companies fall over each other to vie for the attention of attendees at SXSW panels and parties, but this year, Uber is notably AWOL. This is just one example of other companies adopting the same technology and doing it better — and more ethically — than Uber. The thing is, if Uber does crash, it won't just mark the demise of the company.

Source: CBC News March 14, 2017 09:00 UTC