Uber and Lyft may soon dethrone the hostilities between Apple and Samsung as the tech industry's biggest catfight.
The two companies, the biggest players in the ride-sharing industry, are caught in a fiery dispute that continues to escalate. Both sides have hurled allegations back and forth, each accusing the other of resorting to dirty tricks gain the upper hand.
Earlier this week, Lyft accused fellow San Francisco start-up Uber of sabotaging its operations. According to data that the company provided, Uber employees were said to have ordered and canceled over 5,000 rides since last October. Lyft claims that the tactic did not come from a single overeager employee. The company said that it was a coordinated effort, with more than 177 Uber employees around the country involved in the sabotage plot. Lyft accused Uber of trying to tie up its drivers, in hopes of luring more users into its service.
Lyft claims that it had identified 5,560 bogus requests since Oct. 3 of last year. The company said that it came up with this figure by cross-referencing the known numbers of Uber employees. Lyft said that one Uber employee lodged 1,524 bogus ride requests through 21 different accounts.
"It's unfortunate for affected community members that they have used these tactics, as it wastes a driver's time and impacts the next passenger waiting for that driver. We remain focused on growing the business faster than any competitor through better customer experience and innovation," Erin Simpson, a spokeswoman for Lyft, said.
Uber has since disputed the claim, saying that Lyft is the one employing underhanded tactics. "Lyft's claims against Uber are baseless and simply untrue. Furthermore, Lyft's own drivers and employees, including one of Lyft's founders, have canceled 12,900 trips on Uber," an Uber representative said.
Uber also said that Lyft, which recently secured $250 million in funding, is making a push for an acquisition. "One of their largest shareholders recently warned that Lyft would 'go nuclear' if we do not acquire them," the company said.
This is not the first time that Uber has been accused of playing dirty. Uber employees in New York were recently accused of lodging more than 100 bogus ride orders through rival app Gett.
