Earning the Right to be Your Life Companion

This is a picture I took earlier today in one of the bathrooms at Dooby's (a neighborhood coffee shop in Mt. Vernon in Baltimore). I'll debate the point with anyone, but I think the bathroom at Dooby's has some of the most irreverent and hilarious bathroom art anywhere in America. Never a dull trip. This particular bathroom message felt like this piece encapsulated.

Yesterday, I happened upon a brilliant Uber ad while binge watching Married at First Sight on Netflix. It actually brought me to tears, which is a notable feat for a streaming ad. We're generally uneasy bedfellows. There was something deeply resonant about the story it told about my personal history with the company. It felt like a nostalgic love note from an old friend.

The ad featured a Millenial-aged couple, and essentially told their love story with imagery of their shared Uber trip history. A simple narrative, but a powerful message that struck me right in the heart chords: Uber has been there with you, through thick and thin, whether you love them or not. They've been there. They helped you book your first awkward ride at an unbelievable rate. They helped you book your trips to your first job interviews out of school, your first post-grad Tinder dates, all the trips to the airports. They saw all the canceled trips, all the shared rides, all the tips, and every single customer support complaint.

They've been a faithful a witness to your life, just by helping you get to the places you need to go. The company earned the right to travel with you, by helping you get there. For some of us it's daily, for others it's once in a blue moon. The point is, every trip matters, and every Uber trip history tells someone's life story with nearly unimpeachable integrity.

Where we go and what we do is a big part of who we are, and who we're becoming. That's individually, and together as a collective. In a technological age where the ability to deliver utility to masses has become democratized, I wonder which products and companies will earn the right to truly travel with us through time and space.

I believe deeply that consumer technology has reached the Trust Age. It's the only vector that really counts anymore. Here's to a new, more durable and accretive game, and to the resilient consumers who've earned it.