Bengaluru woman books Uber, gets picked up by her team lead; He moonlights for this reason

In a moment that feels straight out of a tech satire, a Bengaluru woman recently booked an Uber, only to be picked up by her own team lead. According to a now-viral post on X, the senior colleague told her he drives part-time “for fun and to kill boredom,” sparking both curiosity and disbelief across social media.

The incident came to light when the woman shared a screenshot of her WhatsApp conversation, writing: “Funny thing happened, you know. I booked Uber, and the guy who picked me up was a team lead at my office.” She captioned the post, “Is this peak Bengaluru?”

According to her chat, the team lead clarified that he wasn’t driving for money. “He said he does this for fun and to kill some boredom,” she noted.

The post quickly went viral, with many calling it the ultimate example of Bengaluru’s famed start-up hustle. “Only in Bengaluru can your manager be your Uber driver, by choice,” one user wrote.

Another explained the possibility through Uber’s carpooling feature. I have earlier tried Uber Partner which lets a white board to get people onboard on your way to office/home. I was curious to understand how it works. A customer would usually book the same way, they just get an additional message.”

Still, not everyone was convinced. “Being stuck in traffic for hours, to pass the time? Sounds fishy,” a user commented, while another added, “No one drives in Bengaluru for fun. There’s something he’s not saying.”

Some pointed out similar experiences in other cities, “Happens in Hyderabad too,” while others saw it as a reflection of a larger shift. “When I worked in the US, a CEO we invited home casually mentioned waiting tables once. No big deal there. But here? This is seen as dramatic. If this guy’s genuine, he’ll go far.”