Under-pressure Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick resigns

Travis Kalanick has resigned as chief executive of taxihailing firm Uber following a series of scandals.

Kalanick, who helped found the company in 2009, is reported to have quit following shareholder unrest over his leadership.

Uber has been dogged by questions over its working culture, including sexual harassment, allegations of trade secrets theft and an investigation into efforts to mislead government regulators.

Heavyweight investors – Benchmark, First Round Capital, Lowercase Capital, Menlo Ventures and Fidelity Investments – wrote a letter titled “Moving Uber Forward”, demanding Kalanick steps down, according to the New York Times.

As well as Kalanick’s immediate resignation, they demanded the board appoints more “truly independent directors” and that Uber hires an experienced finance chief.

Kalanick said in a statement: “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 had already been on indefinite leave amid criticism of his management style and following the death of his mother in a boating accident.

An Uber spokesman said: “This is a bold decision and a sign of his devotion and love for Uber.” 0 The Uber boss had already been on indefinite leave