After Uber's App Cost Him His Job, a Disgruntled Driver Flew to San Francisco and Showed Up at Its Headquarters

When Karim Sawadogo pulled over next to a Denver Police car late on Halloween night of 2023, he issued them a challenge: "take me to jail." A native of Burkina Faso, Sawadogo had been an Uber driver in the Denver area for nearly seven years, clocking over 20,000 rides. That gig came to a screeching halt when a rider reported him for allegedly driving under the influence. Without investigation, Uber immediately suspended his account, depriving him of his primary source of income in a process known as deactivation, as we reported earlier this week. Though he doesn't drink for religious reasons, Sawadogo says, he knew to immediately start a paper trail. "I pulled up to these two officers," Sawadogo told us, "and said 'if I'm drunk, please tell me... you can take me to jail.'" He says the officers searched his car and administered him a roadside sobriety test. Instead of hauling him off for driving while intoxicated, they directed him to a 24-hour clinic to get a certified breathalyzer ... Read full article.