Uber is now mainstream enough that it's used as a punchline in the new Entourage movie
But I saw an early screening here in San Francisco last night (it's good, go see it), and there's one really amazing joke about Uber that shows just how deeply the controversial car-sharing service has embedded itself in our collective consciousness.
WARNING: Minor spoilers for the Entourage movie below. You've been warned!
In the movie, Turtle (played by Jerry Farara) manages to go on a date with real-life MMA fighter Ronda Rousey, which he ruins by talking too much about business.
"I'm going to call you an Uber," she says, before pausing to sneer to a deflated Turtle: "Actually, I'm going to call you an UberX."
It might be helpful for those of you who've never used Uber (or who live outside its fast-expanding empire) to know that it has two main options: Plain old Uber, the black car service, and UberX, which is a much cheaper variant where you're more likely to be picked up in a Prius.
And so, Rousey was saying that Turtle wasn't even worth the expense.
The put-down got hearty laughs and a few disbelieving hoots from the audience.
We talked to Uber, and it's not a paid product placement.
So there you have it: Uber, like Google before it, is now mainstream enough that big Hollywood movies feel comfortable using it as a punchline.