Uber once redesigned its logo to look like an atom.

In 2016 Uber dropped its rounded-square “U” for a new symbol the company described as a “bit” inside an “atom,” meant to represent technology reaching into the physical world. Co-founder Travis Kalanick said the shape was there to convey that an Uber is always close by, the way atoms are all around us.

The redesign was widely criticised as confusing and hard to recognise, and Uber replaced it in 2018 with a plain wordmark.