Uber CEO Kalanick Resigns

Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick makes his temporary leave of absence permanent and resigns as chief executive.

The decision follows six months of almost uninterrupted scandals at the ride-sharing company. Kalanick said in a statement to the New York Times (NYT), “I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors’ request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight.”

Uber board of directors voted unanimously to amend working practices.

Sustained pressure

According to the Times, the decision for Kalanick to resign came after sustained pressure from five of Uber’s main investors that an indefinite absence from Uber did not go far enough to address the issues the company have faced so far in 2017.

Remain on Uber board

It was less than two weeks ago that Kalanick announced he was taking time off “reflect, to work on myself, and to focus on building out a world-class leadership team”, he said in an email to Uber’s employees. The board at that time responded by saying “…he’s taking the time to heal from his personal tragedy while giving the company room to fully embrace this new chapter in Uber’s history. We look forward to continuing to serve with him on the board.” And that much was true. Kalanick will no longer by CEO of Uber, but will remain on the board.

Unanimous vote

Earlier this month, the board of directors voted unanimously to adopt the recommendations of a workplace review led by the law firm of the former US attorney general Eric Holder. The firm was to hired to look into allegations of harassment, discrimination and an aggressive culture. The 47 recommendations include creating a board oversight committee, rewriting Uber’s cultural values, reducing alcohol use at work events, and prohibiting intimate relationships between employees and their bosses.