Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi recently announced plans to go public in late 2019 with the ride-hailing service. According to Khosrowshahi, Uber's recent achievements include an increase of its net revenue by 67%. The San Francisco-based company also recently earned $3 billion gain from selling South Asian enterprises to Singaporean competitor Grab. Uber has also found success in its food delivery service, UberEats, which has a current growth of over 200%, and is expecting an annual revenue of $6 billion. Khosrowshahi asserted that Uber is in "a good position [for an IPO] in terms of the company's profile, in terms of profitability."

In preparation for the IPO, Uber has made considerable advances. While Uber's autonomous vehicle unit suffered a setback after a fatal crash involving one pedestrian, the unit may still ultimately allow the company to preserve its market influence. Uber also has plans to release electric bikes in the near future. And Uber's not stopping there - the company also has plans to offer flying taxis to the general public in two to five years.

Khosrowshahi also has desires to mold Uber as a total transportation platform, rather than a taxi or ride-sharing service, through its future offerings. Khosrowshahi explained Uber's goals: "We want to be there -- anytime you're going from point A to B, we wanna be there for you."

Other developmental actions Uber has conducted towards its IPO is cultivating suitable outside investors. Last December, Japanese investment bank Softbank purchased 17.5% of Uber at a valuation of $48 billion. In addition, Uber and the billionaire investor Warren Buffet, the CEO of the third largest public company in the world, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A  ), have reportedly had discussions. Still, Khosrowshahi noted that an investment from Buffet is not "first priority," as Uber is primarily focusing on the construction of its new management team, which currently does not have a chief financial officer.

Although Uber has noble aspirations, Uber's brand is heavily shrouded in its past controversies. While the company survived the resignation of former Uber CEO and founder Travis Kalanick, reports of sexism in the workplace, a lawsuit with Google (GOOGL  ) over stolen trade secrets, data violations that impacted 57 million users, and more have left Uber severely behind in the public sphere. If Uber can withstand such bad public relations, as well as competition from other rivals who are also revolutionizing transportation services and technology, such as Amazon (AMZN  ) and Tesla (TSLA  ), perhaps Uber will be able to make a strong lasting impact once it finally goes on the public market.