The concept of disruptive technology was brought about by Clayton Christensen. He used the term to describe situations whereby new innovations are introduced into the market only to end up displacing other established competitors eventually. The introduction of Uber into the taxi industry qualifies as a disruptive technology as per the disruptive innovation theory coined by Clayton Christensen (Berger, Chen and Frey, 2018). After the Uber the innovation of the Uber technology, the company started its operations at the bottom of the taxi market industry. However, with time, the company has been able to replace other well-established companies that operated cab business the traditional way. This paper will seek to answer the question of whether companies developing disruptive innovations have a role to play in the future welfare of the societies they operate in.

Anyone would agree that company’s like Uber has a social responsibility to ensure the various aspects of the wellbeing of the society they operate in are well taken care of. When a disruptive innovation is introduced into the market, a lot of changes are experienced. Some of which may affect the welfare of other market players and the community at large (Berger, Chen and Frey, 2018). For instance, jobs are lost. For this reason, it is the responsibility of the company, like Uber, to make sure that it at least absorbs some of the other market players. This is a big way of ensuring the welfare of the society.

The success of any new technology is dependent on the technology’s acceptance amongst the consumers. For instance, for a company like Uber to remain relevant in the transport industry; it has to maintain a certain level of appeal to the consumers of its product. In this case, the cab driver and their customers (Brands, 2015). For this reason, the company has to make sure that they, in a way, help address the future welfare of these two parties. One way to appeal to its drivers is the provision of free or subsidized car maintenance services. With regard to the cab riders, the company should ensure that its services are accessible at an affordable price at all time.

One would also argue that companies that come up with disruptive technologies end up making a lot of profit on their investment. For this reason, it is also expected of them to come up with cooperate social responsibility policies to ensure that they assist the communities within which they operate. A company like Uber, which reported profits of about $2.6 billion in the last quarter of 2018, should implement a worthwhile budged in cooperate social responsibility (Brands, 2015).

For the sake of the societal good, a company like Uber should be willing to provide humanitarian assistance in cases of an emergency. For instance, the company could offer its cars to provide free rides to victims of various disasters in areas where it operates.

In conclusion, the issues highlighted above provide enough support to the argument that a company like Uber has a responsibility to help shape the future of the society in which it operates in. Basically, every company has a role to play in ensuring the welfare of the society in which it profits from. This not only benefits the society but also boosts the company’s products preference amongst the members of that particular society.

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