Uber’s Michael out as company looks to right course

Emil Michael, Uber’s senior vicepresident of business and chief executive Travis Kalanick’s righthand man, has left the embattled ride-hailing company, according to an email he sent Monday to employees.

It is unclear whether Michael was fired or resigned. An Uber spokesperson confirmed that he is no longer with the company, but declined to comment further.

In the email, initially obtained by The New York Times and independently verified by a person familiar with the matter, Michael said that Sunday was his last day, and that David Richter, Uber’s current vice-president of strategic initiatives, would replace him.

His email did not give a reason for his leaving.

Michael’s departure was foreshadowed on Sunday when Uber’s board of directors convened in Los Angeles to vote on a series of recommendations about Uber’s corporate culture. The suggestions — which were drafted by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder as part of a company investigation into complaints of widespread harassment inside the company — reportedly included forcing out Michael and ordering Kalanick to take a leave of absence.

Board members voted unanimously to adopt all of the firm’s recommendations, which will be released to employees Tuesday, the spokesperson said.

Michael has been at the centre of a number of Uber’s scandals, such as in 2014 when he told a BuzzFeed journalist that the company should spend millions of dollars to investigate journalists who were critical of the firm. He reportedly played a role in an incident in which Uber executives — including Eric Alexander, who was recently fired — obtained the medical records of a passenger who was raped by a driver in India.

Throughout the crises, Michael has had Kalanick’s unwavering support.

At one point both executives were seen as untouchable because many had credited their brash and hypercompetitive leadership style for producing Uber’s early success.

Uber’s recent string of scandals left both executives vulnerable, though.

According to multiple news reports, Holder’s advice included ordering Kalanick to step down temporarily and forcing out Michael.

Under Kalanick, Uber has shaken up the taxi industry in hundreds of cities and become the world’s most valuable startup. Uber’s valuation has climbed to nearly $70 billion.