Uber's journey to become the world's most highly valued private startup. : Uber’s disruptive technology, explosive growth, and constant controversy make it one of the most fascinating companies to emerge over the past decade. The almost ten-year-old company soon grew to become the highest valued private startup company in the world. But with its rapid growth came many controversies that knocked down its valuation from a lofty $70 billion to $48 billion in its last funding round in Jan. 2018. On May 23, 2018, the company announced a new tender offer that would bump the company's value to $62 billion.