Emil Michael
[Illustration by Aaron Meshon]
For giving “stunt driving” a whole new meaning.
Love or hate Uber, you have to admit that the car service got your attention with its on-demand kittens, Christmas trees, skywriting, mariachi bands, and Vegas road trips. You can thank Emil Michael for that. Though kittens have been by far the most popular gambit, receiving about 500,000 requests in three cities, Michael admits it wasn’t his first choice (he’s allergic). These publicity stunts are only a small part of his job, however. He has also brokered deals with Toyota and GM to get Uber drivers preferential rates on new cars–another effort to get more drivers on the road. “In my six months here,” Michael says, “there hasn’t been a nanosecond that I have been bored.”AT