Something nobody mentions is that UberCab's business model was illegal. In order to pick up passengers in California (and many municipalities and states) you need a commercial license and a car with a livery plate. Travis Kalanick bet that he could get huge enough to force San Francisco to deal with him rather than shut him down. It's a testament to the weakness of consumer protections that he was right.
Lather, rinse, repeat for half the tech industry. "Go fast and break things" is another way of saying "smash'n'grab."