From lawsuits to scandals: A timeline of Uber’s rough ride this year

Tracing the mounting woes that led to the resignation of founder Travis Kalanick

Uber has had a rough year, largely of its own making. There have been lawsuits, allegations of sexual harassment and a profanity-laced outburst by CEO Travis Kalanick that was caught on video. On Wednesday, he resigned under investor pressure.

Jan. 28: After U.S. President Trump releases his first executive order on immigration, New York taxi drivers protest by refusing to pick up passengers at Kennedy Airport for an hour. Protesters say Uber tries to capitalize by picking up passengers anyway, prompting a Twitter protest urging people to delete Uber’s app.

Feb. 2: Uber CEO Travis Kalanick quits President Trump’s council of business leaders amid mounting pressure from employees and customers over the immigration order.

Feb. 19: A former Uber engineer, Susan Fowler, discloses sexual harassment and sexism claims in a blog post about her year at Uber. Fowler says her boss propositioned her and higher-ups ignored her complaints. Kalanick calls the accusations “abhorrent,” hires former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder to investigate.

Feb. 23: Waymo, a self-driving car company spun off from Google, sues Uber. Waymo alleges that Anthony Levandowski — a former top manager for Google’s self-driving car project — stole pivotal technology from Google before leaving to run Uber’s self-driving car division.

Feb. 28: A video emerges of Kalanick arguing with an Uber driver. It includes yelling and profanity and ends with a combative Kalanick dis- missing the agitated driver’s claims that sharp reductions in fares forced him into bankruptcy. Kalanick admits he needs leadership help. March 3: The New York Times reveals that Uber used a phoney version of its app to thwart authorities in cities where it was operating illegally. Uber’s so-called Greyball software identified regulators who were posing as riders and blocked access to them. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating.

March 19: Uber’s president, Jeff Jones, resigns less than a year after joining the company. He tells the tech blog Recode that his approach to leadership is at odds with what he experienced at Uber.

April 18: Sherif Marakby, a global vice-president leading Uber’s selfdriving program, leaves Uber.

April 27: Levandowski says he is stepping aside while Uber defends itself against Waymo allegations.

May 11: A federal judge rejects Uber’s request for arbitration and refers Waymo’s case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for a possible criminal investigation. Days later, the judge bans Uber from using Waymo technology.

May 26: Kalanick’s mother dies in a boating accident. May 30: Uber fires Levandowski. May 31: Uber’s finance chief Gautam Gupta says he will leave the company in July.

June 6: Uber fires 20 people after a law firm investigates complaints of harassment, bullying and retaliation. Fifty-seven of 215 complaints are still under investigation.

June 11: Uber’s board meets with Holder and adopts a series of recommendations based on his report.

June 12: Emil Michael, Uber’s senior vice-president for business and a close ally of Kalanick, leaves the company.

June 13: Kalanick tells employees he’s taking a leave. Uber’s board releases Holder’s recommendations, including removing some of Kalanick’s responsibilities, replacing Uber’s chairman and founder, Garrett Camp, with an independent chairman and cultural and policy changes, from establishing an effective complaint process to recruiting more diverse applicants to prohibiting alcohol and drug use during work hours.

June 20: Uber embarks on “180 days of change,” seeking to persuade riders and investors that it is a company with a conscience and a heart. The first move was allowing riders the ability to give drivers tips through the Uber app, something that Kalanick had resisted.

June 21: Kalanick resigns under pressure from investors and the board. He will stay on the board.