Uber President hired for damage control, quits
Uber President Jeff Jones, hired seven months ago to rejig the firm's reputation has left. Jones is the latest among the top brass of Uber to call it a day. In a statement, Uber curtly said that they wanted to thank Jeff for his time in the firm and wish him all the best. Read on to know all about Uber's recent controversies.
Uber President hired for damage control, quits
Uber President Jeff Jones, hired seven months ago to rejig the firm's reputation has left. Jones is the latest among the top brass of Uber to call it a day. In a statement, Uber curtly said that they wanted to thank Jeff for his time in the firm and wish him all the best. Read on to know all about Uber's recent controversies.
Uber's CEO assures quick investigation on sexual misconduct
In February, a former Uber-engineer, Susan Fowler, had revealed via a blog, multiple instances of harassment, sexual and otherwise, that she faced while working at Uber. Uber CEO Travis said that he had initiated an urgent investigation into the complaints made by her. He said that he had asked Uber's new HR chief to find out if there was any truth in the allegations.
Amit Singhal asked to resign over past sexual harassment dispute
Another scandal hit Uber in February when its senior vice president of engineering Amit Singhal was reportedly asked to resign after the company found he had left his previous job at Google due to sexual harassment charges against him. Singhal, who previously worked in Google, didn't notify Uber authorities on the sexual harassment claims that had been made against him way back in 2015.
Uber CEO gets into verbal fight with driver
Uber driver Fawzi Kamel, upon learning that the CEO Travis Kalanick was in the cab wanted to inform him of the trouble that they were facing due to falling prices. To which Kalanick replied, that the driver was not capable of taking responsibility for his own mistakes. Kalanick issued an apology later, saying it was a mistake and he needed organisational help.
Uber admits avoiding law using tech
After refuting the charges multiple times, Uber admitted using a software called "Greyball" to ensure that its drivers stay away from trouble and out of the grasp of local authorities looking to nab law-breakers. In its defence, Uber said that the software was only used in cities where it was not banned and the motive was to insulate drivers from disruption by other cab-aggregators.
Uber: Head of communications of embattled company resigns
In a setback to embattled Uber, its Head of Communications Rachel Whetstone announced her departure from the company. No reason was quoted. Whetstone had moved from Google to Uber in 2015. Jill Hazelbaker, who had deputised for Whetstone, replaced her. Uber is dealing with serious internal allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination. A "#deleteuber" campaign has reportedly led to loss of thousands of accounts.
What lies ahead for Uber?
Uber needs to make a quick and decisive investigation on the sexual harassment claims. Future outbursts by top-management at Uber needs to be checked. Additionally, Uber faces the mammoth task of finding replacements for key officials who have left the organization. The firm needs to appease the disgruntled drivers by revamping price structure. It should also find a way to put "Greyball" fiasco behind.
