Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Won’t Step Down, But Vows To Change Obnoxious Company Culture
Uber and its leadership does not exactly have the greatest reputation. Uber is being sued by Google for allegedly stealing its Waymo self-driving car technology, the company has been accused of attempting to evade law enforcement, and there have been a number of complaints regarding sexual harassment. Controversial CEO Travis Kalanick will not be stepping down from his position, however, the company has vowed to fix its culture and reputation.
CEO Travis Kalanick has been under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. A recently released video showed Kalanick yelling at an Uber driver who had complained about the company’s pay scale. Uber board member and co-founder of Huffington Post Arianna Huffington, remarked that “going forward" there could be "no room at Uber for brilliant jerks". She also stated that there would be "zero tolerance for anything but totally respectable behavior in an equitable workplace environment". Kalanick himself admitted last month that he needs to “grow up”.
Huffington defended Kalanick as well. She noted, “It is clear that Uber and the whole ride-share industry would not be what it is today without Travis. He started as a scrappy entrepreneur, and now he needs to bring about the changes in himself and the way he leads that are appropriate to a big company.” Human resources chief Liane Hornsey noted that the company was implementing new training and policies to promote diversity and teamwork. Rachel Holt, who is in charge of Uber’s business in the United States and Canada, commented that they were altering their app and support network in order to improve conditions for drivers.
Many of Uber’s top executives has stepped down due to the company’s long train of scandals. Uber President and former Target CMO Jeff Jones just quit this past week, after being initially hired to help repair the company’s image. He remarked, “It is now clear, however, that the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business.”
CEO Travis Kalanick has been under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. A recently released video showed Kalanick yelling at an Uber driver who had complained about the company’s pay scale. Uber board member and co-founder of Huffington Post Arianna Huffington, remarked that “going forward" there could be "no room at Uber for brilliant jerks". She also stated that there would be "zero tolerance for anything but totally respectable behavior in an equitable workplace environment". Kalanick himself admitted last month that he needs to “grow up”.
Huffington defended Kalanick as well. She noted, “It is clear that Uber and the whole ride-share industry would not be what it is today without Travis. He started as a scrappy entrepreneur, and now he needs to bring about the changes in himself and the way he leads that are appropriate to a big company.” Human resources chief Liane Hornsey noted that the company was implementing new training and policies to promote diversity and teamwork. Rachel Holt, who is in charge of Uber’s business in the United States and Canada, commented that they were altering their app and support network in order to improve conditions for drivers.
Many of Uber’s top executives has stepped down due to the company’s long train of scandals. Uber President and former Target CMO Jeff Jones just quit this past week, after being initially hired to help repair the company’s image. He remarked, “It is now clear, however, that the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business.”
