Uber CEO Kalanick steps down
SAN FRANCISCO: Global ridehailing service Uber’s embattled CEO Travis Kalanick has stepped down following a strong opposition from shareholders, media reported on Wednesday.
According to a report in the New York Times, Uber’s five major investors had demanded that the chief executive resign immediately and made their demand in a letter that was delivered to Kalanick.
“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,” Kalanick told NYT in a statement.
The problems for Kalanick started earlier this year after a former Uber engineer alleged sexual harassment at the company.
Susan Fowler, a former site reliability engineer, levelled numerous allegations of sexism against her former superiors in a lengthy blog post.
Her blog was widely shared online and prompted the company to launch an internal investigation.
This led to further allegation from other employees, prompting the company to conduct internal investigations.
Last week, Kalanick said he was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons, an announcement that came at a time when the company is dealing with a series of workplace scandals.
Kalanick’s decision to step aside comes after an internal investigation conducted by former US Attorney General Eric Holder, a probe the company launched due to allegations of assault and discrimination.