The race is on. Companies are competing to build the single app that will command every corner of our lives, redefining convenience and control.
Author
Amor Mao
Uber announces new features at its GO–GET event
Uber’s April 2026 GO–GET event made one thing clear: the company no longer sees itself as simply a ride-hailing platform. With new features spanning hotels, restaurant reservations, AI-powered voice bookings, shopping, travel recommendations and even “room service” delivery to hotels, Uber is positioning itself as a lifestyle operating system — a Western answer to the super-app model long dominated by Asia. As CEO Dara Khosrowshahi put it during the launch, the goal is simple: “One app for everything.”
The strategy reflects a broader shift happening across tech globally. Faced with slowing growth in standalone services, companies are racing to become the primary interface through which consumers move, shop, travel, pay and increasingly interact with AI.
One app for everything.
Dara Khosrowshahi
CEO, Uber
Convenience is becoming the ultimate platform advantage. Uber’s expansion into hotels via Expedia, AI voice bookings and integrated travel concierge services shows how platforms are trying to reduce friction across everyday life.
Rather than simply offering more services, companies are trying to own the journey between them. A traveler booking a hotel through Uber can now reserve airport rides, receive restaurant recommendations, order snacks to the hotel and potentially plan an entire trip without leaving the app. As Expedia CEO Ariane Gorin said at the event: “Where Uber can take you, we can help you stay.”
Alibaba
The model mirrors what Asian tech companies have been building for years. China’s WeChat evolved from messaging app to digital infrastructure, combining payments, shopping, mobility and services into one ecosystem. Goldman Sachs recently described China’s AI market as a new “consumer-facing super app battle,” with ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent competing to become the primary AI-powered gateway for everyday life.
AI is accelerating the super-app model. What feels new in 2026 is how deeply AI is embedded into these ecosystems. Uber’s Voice Bookings and One Search features hint at a future where users stop navigating apps manually altogether and instead interact conversationally with an AI layer.
This is increasingly becoming the competitive battleground globally. Kazakhstan-founded mobility platform inDrive, now operating across nearly 50 countries, is also evolving into a super app spanning ride-hailing, grocery delivery, finance and courier services. According to the company, AI and predictive analytics are helping personalize services while increasing engagement across verticals.
Orange head office
Meanwhile, telecom giant Orange is expanding its Max It platform across Africa, combining payments, streaming, gaming and telecom services into one ecosystem aimed at reaching 75 million users by 2028.
The super-app race reflects a broader consumer shift toward consolidation. In an era of app fatigue, fragmented subscriptions and decision overload, convenience itself is becoming premium. For brands, the implications are significant. Distribution may increasingly depend not on standalone apps or websites, but on integration into larger ecosystems controlled by a handful of platforms and AI assistants.
The battle is no longer just about who owns the best service. It’s about who becomes the default interface for everyday life.
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