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Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is on leave from the company
Uber has been in some hot water recently, as their toxic company culture has been under the microscope after Susan J. Fowler, an engineer, wrote a scathing account of the sexual harassment she'd experienced at the company. Now, CEO Travis Kalanick is taking personal leave from the company for an unspecified amount of time. When he returns, he'll have a stripped down role and more oversight from an independent chair.
Uber considers sidelining its CEO (updated)
Uber has been taking steps to clean up its toxic corporate culture, such as firing employees and hiring experts, but the most dramatic changes might be right around the corner. Both Reuters and Recode have learned that Uber's board is holding a meeting on June 11th to consider recommendations stemming from its workplace probe, and numerous executives may be on the chopping block. That could include CEO Travis Kalanick, at least for a while -- Reuters sources hear that the company chief might end up "temporarily stepping away" from the ridesharing company. And when he comes back, he might have a different position, reduced powers or stricter oversight.
Elon Musk turned down Uber’s self-driving partnership offer
A new book on Uber by Fortune's Adam Lashinsky is coming out soon, but Bloomberg has revealed one juicy anecdote ahead of time. CEO Travis Kalanick reportedly called up Tesla CEO Elon Musk to propose a partnership on self-driving cars, but Musk rebuffed the offer and even tried to talk him out of it.
Apple threatened to drop Uber's app over iPhone tagging (updated)
Uber is no stranger to trouble, but it may have landed in some especially hot water two years ago. New York Times sources claim that Apple CEO Tim Cook held a face-to-face meeting in early 2015 to call out Uber's Travis Kalanick (and threaten to remove his app from the App Store) after learning that Uber was not only violating iOS app privacy guidelines, but was trying to cover it up. Reportedly, the ridesharing outfit had been "fingerprinting" iPhones with permanent identities so that it could prevent drivers from cheating by creating fake accounts and accepting rides from these bogus customers. The IDs would last even after the app was deleted or the entire phone was wiped. While this helped keep drivers honest, it was clearly a privacy violation -- and it was made worse by Uber's bid to hide the tracking from App Store reviewers.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 36: Bad and Boujee
On this episode of the Engadget Podcast senior editor Cherlynn Low and executive editor Dana Wollman join host Terrence O'Brien to talk about some recent examples of bad corporate behavior. First the trio look the most recent developments at Uber, where days without controversy are increasingly rare. After that, they turn their attention to another perennial punching bag (and soon to be newest member of the Verizon family) Yahoo. The company's troubles aren't new. In fact the panel will be discussing just the latest fallout from a scandal surrounding political prisoners in China that dates back to 2007. Finally, on the Wind Down, Cherlynn reveals that gratuitous nudity isn't what makes an HBO show and Terrence wholeheartedly endorses the chaotic and experimental "pop." Then Dana offers her review of 1986's Little Shop of Horrors.
The time for Uber leadership to step down is long overdue
It seems like hardly a week goes by without Uber fending off bad press. If it isn't sexual-harassment stories or driver disputes, it's self-driving car accidents and reports of sleazy business practices. The situation has gotten so bad that employees are leaving in droves; President Jeff Jones left last month, AI Labs director Gary Marcus did as well, and so has VP of Product Ed Baker. Rachel Whetstone, Uber's head of policy and communications for two years, announced this week she was stepping down too. But until CEO and founder Travis Kalanick leaves and Uber changes its "Always be hustlin'" mantra, it's highly unlikely that anything will change.
Uber CEO linked to escort bar visit that resulted in an HR complaint
In case you were counting, it has been more than a month since Uber CEO Travis Kalanick announced an investigation into claims of sexual harassment and discrimination within his company. Tonight The Information reports that in 2014, Kalanick senior VP of business Emil Michael and several other employees visited an "escort-karaoke bar." Within minutes of that article being published, another report from Arizona revealed that one of the company's self-driving cars has been involved in an accident. In a story recounted by Gabi Holzwarth, a professional violinist and business development manager who was dating Kalanick at the time, four other men in the group picked out their favorites from a group of numbered women and proceeded downstairs to sing karaoke. Holzwarth and Kalanick left the rest of the group behind after about 45 minutes. A female Uber manager in the group was "visibly unhappy," quickly left and made a report to HR about it a year later.
Uber confirms it's hiring a Chief Operations Officer
The rumors of Uber planning to hire a second-in-command were true. CEO Travis Kalanick has confirmed that his ridesharing company is "actively looking" for a Chief Operating Officer that would work with him to "write the next chapter in our journey." There's no public short list of candidates, to no one's surprise, but Recode hears that ideal picks would include ex-Disney COO Tom Staggs and CVS' Helena Foulkes. Uber's board would supposedly prefer a woman for the spot -- possibly to head off claims that it's tone deaf to sexism in its corporate culture.
Uber's solution to leadership woes may be a second-in-command
Uber is in a lot of hot water lately between Greyball, sexual harassment claims, a political uproar, an Alphabet lawsuit and CEO Travis Kalanick's own outbursts. How is it supposed to get the ship back on course? If you believe sources speaking to The Information, the ridesharing outfit has a simple solution: hire a No. 2. Kalanick reportedly plans to take on a second-in-command that would "make key decisions" for the company. Think of this person like Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg, or Eric Schmidt in Google's pre-Alphabet days -- a second voice that tempers the founder's idealism with some business sense.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 30: I Can Change
After surviving The Great AWS Outage of 2017, managing editor Dana Wollman and senior editor Devindra Hardawar rejoin host Terrence O'Brien to debate some of the biggest tech stories of the week. First they'll pit YouTube's live TV offering against its competitors, then talk through Twitter's new tools for fighting online harassment. Plus they'll address the latest controversy surrounding Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and discuss whether or not it's time for him to resign. Then they'll turn their attention to Nintendo's Switch, Zelda and where the console still needs to improve. They'll also briefly recount their own history with Nintendo's machines and gaming in general. Plus Terrence threatens to fight Devindra for his Switch
Uber CEO argues with a driver over dropping income (updated)
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick hasn't been earning many brownie points with the public lately, and that trend isn't about to stop any time soon. Bloomberg has obtained video of the hard-driving executive getting into an argument with long-serving Uber Black driver Fawzi Kamel over dropping ridesharing fares. When Kamel complains that the overall price is going down and ruining his finances, Kalanick defends cuts as necessary to fend off rivals like Lyft. He disputes that prices on Black in particular are dropping, and quickly gets mad -- he claims that people like like Kamel "don't like to take responsibility for their own shit" and are trying to blame others for their own problems.
Investors and employees aren't buying Uber's sexism 'probe'
Nobody was terribly surprised by revelations from former engineer Susan Fowler about a sexist, bro-centric Uber culture that protects "high performer" employees. And many folks aren't impressed by CEO Travis Kalanick's investigation into the matter by company lawyer Eric Holder and board member Arianna Huffington. During a secretly recorded meeting with Kalanick and more than 100 female engineers (obtained by Buzzfeed), employees said they don't need Holder to tell them sexual harassment problems at the company are "systemic."
The Engadget Podcast Ep 29: Re-Offender
Managing editor Dana Wollman and senior editor Nathan Ingraham join host Terrence O'Brien to talk about the biggest tech stories of the week. Of course, that means Uber and the growing controversy around its corporate culture -- including allegations of rampant sexism. They'll also address Samsung's plans to sell refurbished Note 7s, Bill Gate's endorsement of a robot tax and PewDiePie's most recent controversy. Then it's time to unwind a bit, and the group has some reading and listening suggestions. Plus, Dana wants your recipes.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk won't quit Trump's advisory council
While a boycott movement that registered over 200,000 account deletions and messages from employees convinced Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to end his tenure on the president's economic advisory council, Elon Musk will not be moved. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted that at tomorrow's meeting of the advisory council he and others will "express our objections to the recent executive order on immigration and offer suggestions for changes to the policy."
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick leaves Trump's advisory council (updated)
After a week including widespread #DeleteUber protests against his company, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick told employees today that he is no longer participating on President Donald Trump's economic advisory council. In a message obtained by the New York Times, Kalanick said: "Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that."
New York City tech leaders object to Trump immigration ban
If it wasn't already clear that the tech industry is opposed to President Trump's immigration restrictions, it is now. Hundreds of New York City tech luminaries have signed a letter that urges Trump to change his mind on the policies, many of whom are from companies you'll recognize -- Airbnb, Blue Apron, Comcast Ventures, Foursquare, Indiegogo and Kickstarter are just a few examples. Many of them are CEOs or founders of influential firms, including Uber chief Travis Kalanick.
Uber sets up $3 million fund for drivers hurt by immigration ban
When President Trump's Muslim-centric immigration ban kicked in and sent tech companies (not to mention the public) into a furor, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick promised to compensate drivers left stranded by the restrictions. But could he do anything else? Apparently so. The executive says Uber will establish a $3 million legal defense fund that will help drivers with immigration issues, including translation services. Kalanick is also vowing 24/7 legal help and to "urge" the White House to restore the right of US residents to travel, calling the current restrictions "unjust."
Trump adds CEOs of Tesla, Uber to his presidential policy forum
US President-elect Donald Trump has been crafting a Strategic and Policy Forum to ask business leaders for advice on economic decisions, but it has mostly drawn from conventional corporate heavyweights like General Motors, JPMorgan Chase and IBM. However, he's shaking things up a bit today: the future leader has announced that Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will join the Forum. Trump sees them as broadening the reach of his advisor group, adding "innovative and vibrant" companies that will help create jobs "from Silicon Valley to the heartland."
Uber's trucking plan will connect drivers with cargo
When Uber bought up Otto's self-driving truck platform, the initial reaction was to imagine a future fleet of autonomous trucks traveling coast to coast on America's interstates. According to a new report from Reuters, that reality is still years -- possibly decades -- away. In the short term, however, Uber plans to leverage the Otto purchase to build up its own freight business and make a name for itself as the go-to technology partner for the trucking industry.
Stephen Colbert's first 'Late Show' guests include Tesla and Uber CEOs
Stephen Colbert has long been a fan of emerging tech, and that's definitely reflected in his early guest list for The Late Show. His second episode (September 9th) will have him once again speaking to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and he'll talk to Uber chief Travis Kalanick the following day. They won't dominate the discussion, but they're a sharp break from the movie stars and musicians that dominated Late Show's schedule in the past. The real question is whether or not you'll glean more insights from these appearances. With certain exceptions, late-night talk shows aren't really a source of tech news. However, Colbert is known to dive a little deeper -- you might just discover something new while you're crashing on the couch. [Image credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP]
