Marie Claire UK Brought Some of London's Most Inspiring Women Together to Talk About the Future—Then We Talked About Everything Else

The benefits of a good gab are a hill I will die on. I can't remember who said it first, but it bears repeating: good conversation is one of life's great pleasures. You know the kind. The talk flows easily, your mind is firing on all cylinders, and sparks of connection are flying as you learn about someone else's life. You didn't quite catch their name, but you're having such a good time that you don't want to interrupt the rhythm to ask.

Yes, one of those nights. When was the last time you had one, seriously?

In today's era of endless demands and infinite screen time, it's all too easy to ping off a quick WhatsApp to rain-check dinner. (And doesn't it feel even better when your friend flakes first?) It's never been easier—or perhaps more enticing—to retreat into our own little worlds, switch on our streamer of choice and shut out everything else.

But much like ordering a quick takeaway, staying home might satisfy us in the moment, through its sheer convenience, without necessarily nourishing us in the long run.

We're sociable creatures and, despite all the distractions of modern life, surprisingly simple ones. Psychologist Abraham Maslow famously placed love and belonging among our fundamental human needs, recognising the importance of friendship, intimacy and connection.

And so, somewhat inadvertently, that became a guiding principle when creating Marie Claire UK's Women Power London dinner.

Every woman we know is juggling an immense mental load. We talk a lot about the success, striving, motherhood penalty, burnout and the relentless pressure to do more, do better and be better. So, for one night, we wanted to do more than simply write about the need for women to have greater support. We wanted to provide it, even if only for a few hours and for a small group of women.

For Women Power London, in partnership with Uber and Wayve, we wanted to create an evening where everything was taken care of. From thoughtful in-car essentials (wired headphones are officially back) to bespoke plates created by female ceramicist Emma Louise Payne and beautiful tablescaping by Charlotte Page, every detail was designed to make our guests feel looked after for a change.

There was no ulterior motive beyond getting a group of women we admire around a table and giving them the time to enjoy one another's company, build networks and have conversations that might drive change or just make them feel listened to, understood and supported.

Of course, the evening was held to celebrate the arrival of Uber's autonomous vehicles with Wayve. And given that we'd gathered to mark the next chapter in how Brits might go from A to B, I'd assumed we'd spend much of the evening talking about the future of travel. Perhaps AI. Maybe even whether we'd feel comfortable letting a car drive us home.

As it turned out, we had more pressing matters to discuss: screen time (ours and the children's). The tedium of maxxing trends. Where we want to travel next. The horrors of house-hunting. Therapy, taking accountability, the female guilt complex and, memorably, what constitutes a great stack of bracelets.

In fact, the talking started before we'd even arrived. On the way to dinner, I jumped in an Uber x Wayve car with Frankie, our videographer.

"I've never been in an autonomous car," she said, only for the operator (it's automated, not driverless; London and its winding Roman roads aren't quite there yet) to point out that she was sitting in one.

Sure, you could put this down to the fact that the Uber x Wayve vehicle feels just like a regular car (and there was me expecting my own Judy Jetson moment), but I think we were just too busy pointing out London landmarks and trading stories about the city and nights out to pay much notice to how exactly we were being ferried across the capital.

If you missed the splashy launch earlier this year—as I did—Wayve is a British tech company that's been developing and testing its autonomous driving technology on UK roads since 2018. Its partnership with Uber will bring autonomous rides to London, initially with a licensed operator behind the wheel to supervise the journey. Fully driverless operations are planned for the future.

When the service launches, Londoners requesting an UberX, Electric or Comfort ride could be offered an autonomous vehicle at no additional cost, with the option to accept it or choose a regular ride instead.

The journey wouldn't be the only time talk turned to nights out.

During her opening speech, Naomi Gummer, Uber's Director of Public Policy for Northern Europe, recalled her own memories of getting home after nights out in the pre-Uber days.

I'd forgotten the planning it took, the patchwork of connections I relied on when I first moved to London. None of which I think about much now. Just like how my ride home last night has already slipped into the recesses of my mind, secondary to an evening of inspiring conversation.

Here we were, experiencing technology designed to change how we travel, and the most memorable part was the company.

For women with demanding careers, families and an endless stream of notifications, the fact that no one was on their phone felt like a small joy. Except, of course, when the cakes arrived: slick with thick vanilla buttercream and glistening green to match the colour scheme. Remember what I said about no small detail going untouched?

By 10 pm, Marie Claire UK's Digital Director Jennifer was checking whether anybody wanted to make a polite departure. "Stay as long as you want, please. But we all know what it's like when you've got an early start, and your bed is still hours away."

One tablemate, who said she would ordinarily have been in bed by half past nine, was still happily chatting. Guests were missing their Ubers, muting notifications and lingering over thick wedges of cake. Conversations that had started hours ago were finding new directions.

Uber and Wayve had brought us around the table to celebrate the future of travel. But once the journey was taken care of, we were free to talk about whatever our hearts desired. And so we did.

And isn't this what good technology should do? Instead of demanding more of our attention, shouldn't it make our everyday lives a little easier, leaving us free to spend more time doing the things we actually enjoy? In last night's case, talking. For hours.

I love a journey as much as the next person, but the best part of getting somewhere is always what happens when you get there. And if the company is good enough, you might not want to leave.

Find out more info on the arrival of Uber's autonomous vehicles with Wayve