FutureFlight
Uber Elevate Executive Describes How Safety Culture For Urban Air Mobility is Taking Root
The company's head of aviation safety says its culture rejects the "move fast and break things" stereotype of high-tech start-ups.
Uber Elevate Santa Clara
Uber Elevate is developing a voluntary safety management system to support its planned urban air mobility network. (Image: Uber)

Uber Elevate appears not to be following the “move fast and break things” mantra that was coined by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and has since been adopted as a badge of honor by high-tech start-ups in a hurry to turn the world upside down. In a presentation last week to the U.S. Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA), John Illson, who is head of aviation safety with the ride-hailing group, explained how he’s leading efforts to ensure that safety is paramount as the company prepares to launch operations in 2023.

“Failing fast is not an option for us,” he said. “New technology companies look at failure as learning experiences but we can’t do that in aviation because companies that can’t develop a safety case won’t be successful and they will lack public buy-in.”