CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M UBER ALLES
Uber files: Leaked docs reveal top politicians secretly aided Uber lobbyingEmmanuel Macron among politicians who aided lobbying
According to media reports, Uber lobbied governments to aid its expansion, finding, in particular, an ally in France's Emmanuel Macron. Uber executives also reportedly met with Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu and George Osborne.
File photos: AFP, Shutterstock.
A leaked cache of confidential files from ride-sharing company Uber illustrates ethically dubious and potentially illegal tactics it used to fuel its frenetic global expansion beginning nearly a decade ago, a joint media investigation shows.
Dubbed the "Uber Files," the investigation involving dozens of news organizations found that company officials leveraged the sometimes violent backlash from the taxi industry against drivers to garner support and evaded regulatory authorities as it looked to conquer new markets early in its history.
Culled from 124,000 documents from 2013-2017 initially obtained by British daily the Guardian and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the revelations are the latest hit for a company dogged by controversy as it exploded into a disruptive force in local transportation.
The cache includes unvarnished text and email exchanges between executives, with standouts from co-founder and former chief executive Travis Kalanick, who was forced to resign in 2017 following accusations of brutal management practices and multiple episodes of sexual and psychological harassment at the company.
"Violence guarantee(s) success," Kalanick messaged other company leaders as he pushed for a counter protest amid sometimes heated demonstrations in Paris in 2016 against Uber's arrival in the market.
Uber's rapid expansion leaned on subsidized drivers and discounted fares that undercut the taxi industry, and "often without seeking licenses to operate as a taxi and livery service," reported The Washington Post, one of the media outlets involved in the probe.
Drivers across Europe had faced violent retaliation as taxi drivers felt their livelihoods threatened. The investigation found that "in some instances, when drivers were attacked, Uber executives pivoted quickly to capitalize" to seek public and regulatory support, the Post said.
According to the Guardian, Uber has adopted similar tactics in European countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, mobilising drivers and encouraging them to complain to the police when they were victims of violence, in order to use media coverage to obtain concessions from the authorities.
A spokesperson for Kalanick strongly denied the findings as a "false agenda," saying he "never suggested that Uber should take advantage of violence at the expense of driver safety."
Uber, however, placed the blame Sunday on previously publicised "mistakes" made by leadership under Kalanick.
"We've moved from an era of confrontation to one of collaboration, demonstrating a willingness to come to the table and find common ground with former opponents, including labour unions and taxi companies," it said, noting that his replacement, Dara Khosrowshahi, "was tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates."
'Kill switch'
The investigation also found that Uber worked to evade regulatory probes by leveraging a technological edge, the Post wrote.
It described an instance when Kalanick implemented a "kill switch" to remotely cut off access of devices in an Amsterdam office to Uber's internal systems during a raid by authorities.
"Please hit the kill switch ASAP," he wrote in an email to an employee. "Access must be shut down in AMS (Amsterdam)."
Kalanick spokesperson Devon Spurgeon said the former chief executive "never authorised any actions or programs that would obstruct justice in any country."
Kalanick "did not create, direct or oversee these systems set up by legal and compliance departments and has never been charged in any jurisdiction for obstruction of justice or any related offence," she said.
But the investigation charged that Uber's actions flouted laws and that executives were aware, citing one joking that they had become "pirates."
The reports say the files reveal Uber also lobbied governments to aid its expansion, finding, in particular, an ally in France's Emmanuel Macron, who was economy minister from 2014 to 2016 and is now the country's president.
The company believed Macron would encourage regulators "to be 'less conservative' in their interpretation of rules limiting the company's operations," the Post said.
Macron was an open supporter of Uber and the idea of turning France into a "start-up nation" in general, but the leaked documents suggest that the minister's support even sometimes clashed with the leftist government's policies.
The revelations sparked indignation among leftist politicians, who denounced the Uber-Macron links as against "all our rules, all our social rights and against workers' rights," and condemned the "pillage of the country."
Meeting Biden, Netanyahu, Osborne
The Guardian also reports that when Joe Biden, US vice-president and a supporter of Uber at the time, was late to a meeting with the company at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Kalanick texted a colleague: “I’ve had my people let him know that every minute late he is, is one less minute he will have with me.”
Following the meeting, Biden appears to have amended his speech to refer to a CEO whose company would give millions of workers “freedom to work as many hours as they wish, manage their own lives as they wish”, the Guardian reports.
Apart from meeting the former US vice-president, Uber executives also reportedly met with Macron, Irish prime minister Enda Kenny, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UK’s chancellor George Osborne. The Guardian reports that according to a note from the meeting Osborne was a “strong advocate”.
In a reaction published by the Guardian, Osborne said it was the explicit policy of the government at the time to meet with global tech firms and “persuade them to invest in Britain, and create jobs here”.
A leaked cache of confidential files from ride-sharing company Uber illustrates ethically dubious and potentially illegal tactics it used to fuel its frenetic global expansion beginning nearly a decade ago, a joint media investigation shows.
Dubbed the "Uber Files," the investigation involving dozens of news organizations found that company officials leveraged the sometimes violent backlash from the taxi industry against drivers to garner support and evaded regulatory authorities as it looked to conquer new markets early in its history.
Culled from 124,000 documents from 2013-2017 initially obtained by British daily the Guardian and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the revelations are the latest hit for a company dogged by controversy as it exploded into a disruptive force in local transportation.
The cache includes unvarnished text and email exchanges between executives, with standouts from co-founder and former chief executive Travis Kalanick, who was forced to resign in 2017 following accusations of brutal management practices and multiple episodes of sexual and psychological harassment at the company.
"Violence guarantee(s) success," Kalanick messaged other company leaders as he pushed for a counter protest amid sometimes heated demonstrations in Paris in 2016 against Uber's arrival in the market.
Uber's rapid expansion leaned on subsidized drivers and discounted fares that undercut the taxi industry, and "often without seeking licenses to operate as a taxi and livery service," reported The Washington Post, one of the media outlets involved in the probe.
Drivers across Europe had faced violent retaliation as taxi drivers felt their livelihoods threatened. The investigation found that "in some instances, when drivers were attacked, Uber executives pivoted quickly to capitalize" to seek public and regulatory support, the Post said.
According to the Guardian, Uber has adopted similar tactics in European countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, mobilising drivers and encouraging them to complain to the police when they were victims of violence, in order to use media coverage to obtain concessions from the authorities.
A spokesperson for Kalanick strongly denied the findings as a "false agenda," saying he "never suggested that Uber should take advantage of violence at the expense of driver safety."
Uber, however, placed the blame Sunday on previously publicised "mistakes" made by leadership under Kalanick.
"We've moved from an era of confrontation to one of collaboration, demonstrating a willingness to come to the table and find common ground with former opponents, including labour unions and taxi companies," it said, noting that his replacement, Dara Khosrowshahi, "was tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates."
'Kill switch'
The investigation also found that Uber worked to evade regulatory probes by leveraging a technological edge, the Post wrote.
It described an instance when Kalanick implemented a "kill switch" to remotely cut off access of devices in an Amsterdam office to Uber's internal systems during a raid by authorities.
"Please hit the kill switch ASAP," he wrote in an email to an employee. "Access must be shut down in AMS (Amsterdam)."
Kalanick spokesperson Devon Spurgeon said the former chief executive "never authorised any actions or programs that would obstruct justice in any country."
Kalanick "did not create, direct or oversee these systems set up by legal and compliance departments and has never been charged in any jurisdiction for obstruction of justice or any related offence," she said.
But the investigation charged that Uber's actions flouted laws and that executives were aware, citing one joking that they had become "pirates."
The reports say the files reveal Uber also lobbied governments to aid its expansion, finding, in particular, an ally in France's Emmanuel Macron, who was economy minister from 2014 to 2016 and is now the country's president.
The company believed Macron would encourage regulators "to be 'less conservative' in their interpretation of rules limiting the company's operations," the Post said.
Macron was an open supporter of Uber and the idea of turning France into a "start-up nation" in general, but the leaked documents suggest that the minister's support even sometimes clashed with the leftist government's policies.
The revelations sparked indignation among leftist politicians, who denounced the Uber-Macron links as against "all our rules, all our social rights and against workers' rights," and condemned the "pillage of the country."
Meeting Biden, Netanyahu, Osborne
The Guardian also reports that when Joe Biden, US vice-president and a supporter of Uber at the time, was late to a meeting with the company at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Kalanick texted a colleague: “I’ve had my people let him know that every minute late he is, is one less minute he will have with me.”
Following the meeting, Biden appears to have amended his speech to refer to a CEO whose company would give millions of workers “freedom to work as many hours as they wish, manage their own lives as they wish”, the Guardian reports.
Apart from meeting the former US vice-president, Uber executives also reportedly met with Macron, Irish prime minister Enda Kenny, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UK’s chancellor George Osborne. The Guardian reports that according to a note from the meeting Osborne was a “strong advocate”.
In a reaction published by the Guardian, Osborne said it was the explicit policy of the government at the time to meet with global tech firms and “persuade them to invest in Britain, and create jobs here”.
French opposition denounces Uber-Macron ‘secret deal’
Le Monde’s report highlights what it says was help from Macron’s ministry intended to help Uber consolidate its position in France, such as suggesting that the company present 'ready-made' amendments to deputies to help their case. — AFP picMonday, 11 Jul 2022 11:09 AM MYTPARIS, July 11 — Opposition deputies yesterday denounced reports of a secret deal between French President Emmanuel Macron — when he was a minister under a socialist government — and online transport giant Uber.
The allegations come in the latest data-based investigation by leading international news outlets based on leaked files, announced on social media as #UberFiles.
The report in France’s Le Monde daily, citing documents, text messages and witnesses, alleges that Uber came to a secret “deal” with Macron when he was economy minister between 2014 and 2016.
Le Monde’s report highlights what it says was help from Macron’s ministry intended to help Uber consolidate its position in France, such as suggesting that the company present “ready-made” amendments to deputies to help their case.
Opposition deputies have denounced what they say appears to have been close collaboration between Macron and Uber at a time when the company was trying to get around tight government regulation of their sector.
Contacted by AFP, Uber France confirmed that the two sides had been in contact. The meetings with Macron had been in the normal course of his ministerial duties, which covered the private-hire sector.
The president’s office told AFP that at that time Macron had, as economy minister, “naturally” been in contact with “many companies involved in the profound change in services that has occurred over the years mentioned, which should be facilitated by unravelling certain administrative or regulatory locks”.
But Mathilde Panot, parliamentary leader of the hard-left opposition France Unbowed party, denounced on Twitter what she described as the “pillage of the country” during Macron’s time as minister under president Francois Hollande.
She described Macron as a “lobbyist” for a “US multinational aiming to permanently deregulate labour law”.
‘Against all our rules'
Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel described Le Monde’s story as “damning revelations about the active role played by Emmanuel Macron, then minister, to facilitate the development of Uber in France.
“Against all our rules, all our social rights and against workers’ rights,” he posted on Twitter.
Communist deputy Pierre Dharreville called for a parliamentary inquiry into the affair.
Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally party, tweeted that the revelations showed that Macron’s career had “a common thread: to serve private interests, often foreign, before national interests”.
The Uber Files investigation is based on a leak of tens of thousands of documents to Britain’s Guardian newspaper from an anonymous source, and has been coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
The ICIJ is working with 42 media partners around the world on the story. — AFP
Le Monde’s report highlights what it says was help from Macron’s ministry intended to help Uber consolidate its position in France, such as suggesting that the company present 'ready-made' amendments to deputies to help their case. — AFP pic
Monday, 11 Jul 2022 11:09 AM MYT
PARIS, July 11 — Opposition deputies yesterday denounced reports of a secret deal between French President Emmanuel Macron — when he was a minister under a socialist government — and online transport giant Uber.
The allegations come in the latest data-based investigation by leading international news outlets based on leaked files, announced on social media as #UberFiles.
The report in France’s Le Monde daily, citing documents, text messages and witnesses, alleges that Uber came to a secret “deal” with Macron when he was economy minister between 2014 and 2016.
Le Monde’s report highlights what it says was help from Macron’s ministry intended to help Uber consolidate its position in France, such as suggesting that the company present “ready-made” amendments to deputies to help their case.
Opposition deputies have denounced what they say appears to have been close collaboration between Macron and Uber at a time when the company was trying to get around tight government regulation of their sector.
Contacted by AFP, Uber France confirmed that the two sides had been in contact. The meetings with Macron had been in the normal course of his ministerial duties, which covered the private-hire sector.
The president’s office told AFP that at that time Macron had, as economy minister, “naturally” been in contact with “many companies involved in the profound change in services that has occurred over the years mentioned, which should be facilitated by unravelling certain administrative or regulatory locks”.
But Mathilde Panot, parliamentary leader of the hard-left opposition France Unbowed party, denounced on Twitter what she described as the “pillage of the country” during Macron’s time as minister under president Francois Hollande.
She described Macron as a “lobbyist” for a “US multinational aiming to permanently deregulate labour law”.
‘Against all our rules'
Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel described Le Monde’s story as “damning revelations about the active role played by Emmanuel Macron, then minister, to facilitate the development of Uber in France.
“Against all our rules, all our social rights and against workers’ rights,” he posted on Twitter.
Communist deputy Pierre Dharreville called for a parliamentary inquiry into the affair.
Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally party, tweeted that the revelations showed that Macron’s career had “a common thread: to serve private interests, often foreign, before national interests”.
The Uber Files investigation is based on a leak of tens of thousands of documents to Britain’s Guardian newspaper from an anonymous source, and has been coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
The ICIJ is working with 42 media partners around the world on the story. — AFP
Leaked ‘Uber files’ show how company capitalized on violence against drivers
BY JULIA MUELLER - 07/10/22
An Uber sign is displayed inside a car in Palatine, Ill., Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. As Uber pushed into markets around the world, the ride-sharing service lobbied political leaders to relax labor and taxi laws and used a “kill switch″ to thwart regulators and law enforcement. Uber also channeled money through Bermuda and other tax havens and considered portraying violence against its drivers as a way to gain public sympathy. That’s according to a report released Sunday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Leaked internal communications reveal how rideshare giant Uber exploited violence against its drivers to boost public opinion, and sometimes flouted laws, as the company battled against taxi drivers and regulators in its rapid expansion in cities across the world.
After Uber drivers were sent to a taxi-industry protest in France in 2016, co-founder and then-CEO Travis Kalanick reportedly sent a text saying the risk to drivers’ safety was “worth it” and that “violence guarantees success.”
Kalanick’s comment is among the “Uber Files,” 124,000 documents leaked to The Guardian and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and other major outlets including the Washington Post.
“Get some sleep when you can,” said Nairi Hourdajian, Uber’s head of communications, to one of its lobbyists in Europe in 2014. “Remember that everything is not in your control, and that sometimes we have problems because, well, we’re just f—— illegal.”
After four Uber drivers were attacked in 2015 by taxi drivers in the Netherlands — protesting Uber’s use of nonprofessional drivers on the grounds that it was illegal — the company’s general manager in Belgium, Niek Van Leeuwen, apparently wrote to Kalanick and others: “We keep the violence narrative going for a few days, before we offer the solution.”
By prolonging the narrative of violence, executives hoped to pressure politicians to weigh in on the issue and pump up publicity in Uber’s favor.
“Excellent work. This is exactly what we wanted and the timing is perfect,” wrote Uber’s head of public policy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Mark MacGann, after the incidents.
Discussing an attack by taxi drivers against one of its cars in Belgium, company lobbyist Cristian Samoilovich wrote, “We need to use this in our favour.”
The Guardian’s Uber Files also found that French President Emmanuel Macron, then France’s finance minister, helped Uber access the French cabinet – and that U.S. President Biden, then vice president, changed a speech to refer more favorably to the company after a meeting with Kalanick in 2016.Ukraine defense chief says US rocket systems have been ‘game-changer’Is federal government dooming efforts to address climate change?
In a statement released Sunday, a spokesperson for Kalanick denied allegations that Uber acted illegally.
Uber acknowledged that its “mistakes” under Kalanick “culminated in one of the most infamous reckonings in the history of corporate America,” but that the company has changed since it ousted its founder and hired new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in 2017.
But the company continued to grapple with controversy: just last month, it shared a report cataloging nearly 4,000 sexual assault claims on its rides in 2019-20, which was a decline on previous years.
Uber lobbied politicians, broke laws in global push: reports
Company received assistance from politicians including French President Emmanuel Macron, according to newspaper reports.
Uber Technologies Inc attempted to lobby politicians and flouted laws as part of efforts to expand globally from 2013 to 2017, according to newspaper reports based on leaked documents [File: Brendan McDermid/Reuters]Bloomberg
Published On 11 Jul 202211 Jul 2022
Uber Technologies Inc. attempted to lobby politicians and flouted laws as part of efforts to expand globally from 2013 to 2017, according to newspaper reports based on leaked documents.
The company allegedly received assistance in its efforts from politicians including French President Emmanuel Macron, reports from outlets including the Guardian and Le Monde said. The so-called “Uber Files” — based on more than 124,000 documents shared with the non-profit International Consortium of Investigative Journalists — cover a period of time when co-founder Travis Kalanick was chief executive officer and detail the lengths to which the company sought to expand into key cities like Paris.
In a statement released shortly after the reports were published, Uber didn’t deny any of the allegations and instead focused on the changes that have been made since Dara Khosrowshahi was named CEO in 2017.
“There has been no shortage of reporting on Uber’s mistakes prior to 2017,” the San Francisco-based company said in a statement. “Thousands of stories have been published, multiple books have been written — there’s even been a TV series.”
Uber said that Khosrowshahi has transformed the company, making safety a top priority.
“When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean it literally: 90% of current Uber employees joined after Dara became CEO,” according to the statement.
Uber’s aggressive tactics as it took on the taxi industry have been reported on for years. Bloomberg News reported in 2018 that the company had deployed a remote system to prevent police from obtaining internal data during raids.
French newspaper Le Monde reported on text messages between Kalanick and Macron while he was finance minister. There were a total of four meetings between the two and a secret “deal” was put in place between Uber executives and French politicians, it said.
As finance minister, Macron was “naturally brought to exchange with numerous companies engaged in the profound mutation of services that occurred during the years mentioned,” a spokesperson for the Elysee said, adding that he sought “to facilitate by untying certain administrative or regulatory locks.”
According to the documents, Uber withdrew its person-to-person UberPop service in France in 2015 and a few months later, a law making it difficult to become a licensed Uber driver was modified in favor of the ride-hailing company, infuriating taxi drivers.
During anti-Uber protests in Paris and other European cities in 2016, Kalanick had dismissed internal concerns about potential violence against Uber drivers, according to the leaked documents. The company instead sought to use the violent attacks against its drivers at the time to win public sympathy, the reports said.A spokesperson for Kalanick disputed the allegations in a detailed statement to the Washington Post, one of several news organizations that wrote about the documents.
“Mr. Kalanick never suggested that Uber should take advantage of violence at the expense of driver safety,” according to the statement. “Any accusation that Mr. Kalanick directed, engaged in, or was involved in any of these activities is completely false.”SOURCE: BLOOMBERG
Uber 'used stealth technology to block scrutiny', report claims
By Associated Press Jul 11, 2022
As Uber aggressively pushed into markets around the world, the ride-sharing service lobbied political leaders to relax labour and taxi laws, used a "kill switch″ to thwart regulators and law enforcement, channelled money through Bermuda and other tax havens and considered portraying violence against its drivers as a way to gain public sympathy, according to a report.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a non-profit network of investigative reporters, scoured internal Uber texts, emails, invoices and other documents to deliver what it called "an unprecedented look into the ways Uber defied taxi laws and upended workers' rights".
The documents were first leaked to the British newspaper The Guardian, which shared them with the consortium.
Ride share giant Uber used aggressive tactics in its global expansion, a new report has claimed. (AAPSupplied)
In a written statement, Uber spokesperson Jill Hazelbaker acknowledged "mistakes″ in the past and said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, hired in 2017, had been "tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates".
"When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean it literally: 90 per cent of current Uber employees joined after Dara became CEO,″ Khosrowshahi said.
Founded in 2009, Uber sought to skirt taxi regulations and offer inexpensive transport via a ride-sharing app.
The consortium's Uber Files revealed the extraordinary lengths that the company undertook to establish itself in nearly 30 countries.
The company's lobbyists — including ex-aides to former US president Barack Obama — pressed government officials to drop their investigations, rewrite labour and taxi laws and relax background checks on drivers, the papers show.
The investigation found that Uber used "stealth technology″ to fend off government investigations.
The company, for example, used a "kill switch″ that cut access to Uber servers and blocked authorities from grabbing evidence during raids in at least six countries.During a police raid in Amsterdam, the Uber Files reported, former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick personally issued an order: "Please hit the kill switch ASAP ... Access must be shut down in AMS (Amsterdam).″
A report has claimed former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick saw the threat of violence against Uber drivers in France by aggrieved taxi drivers as a way to gain public support.
The consortium also reported that Kalanick saw the threat of violence against Uber drivers in France by aggrieved taxi drivers as a way to gain public support. "Violence guarantee(s) success,″ Kalanick texted colleagues.
In a response to the consortium, Kalanick spokesman Devon Spurgeon said the former CEO "never suggested that Uber should take advantage of violence at the expense of driver safety".
The Uber Files say the company cut its tax bill by millions of dollars by sending profits through Bermuda and other tax havens, then "sought to deflect attention from its tax liabilities by helping authorities collect taxes from its drivers".
The Uber files – leak unmasks taxi firm’s ruthless expansion tactics
'Kill switch': Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo: Anthony Devlin
Dana Hall
July 11 2022
Taxi-hailing firm Uber lobbied political leaders to relax labour and taxi laws, used a “kill switch’’ to thwart regulators, channelled money through tax havens and considered portraying violence against its drivers as a way to gain public sympathy, according to a new report.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists scoured internal Uber texts, emails, invoices and other documents to deliver what it called “an unprecedented look into the ways Uber defied taxi laws and upended workers’ rights’’.
Uber spokesperson Jill Hazelbaker acknowledged “mistakes’’ in the past and said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, hired in 2017, had been “tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates ...
"When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean it literally: 90pc of current Uber employees joined after Dara became CEO.’’
Founded in 2009, Uber sought to skirt taxi regulations and offer inexpensive transportation via an app. The consortium’s so-called “Uber Files” revealed the extraordinary lengths that the company undertook to establish itself in 30 countries.
The company’s lobbyists – including former aides to President Barack Obama – pressed government officials to drop their investigations, rewrite labour and taxi laws and relax background checks on drivers, the papers show.
The investigation found that Uber used “stealth technology’’ to fend off government investigations. The company, for example, used a “kill switch’’ that cut access to Uber servers and blocked authorities from grabbing evidence during raids in at least six countries. During a police raid in Amsterdam, the Uber Files reported, former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick personally issued an order: “Please hit the kill switch ASAP ... Access must be shut down in AMS (Amsterdam).’’
The consortium also reported that Mr Kalanick saw the threat of violence against Uber drivers in France by aggrieved taxi drivers as a way to gain public support. “Violence guarantee(s) success,’’ Mr Kalanick texted colleagues.
The Uber Files say the company cut its tax bill by millions of dollars by sending profits through Bermuda and other tax havens, then “sought to deflect attention from its tax liabilities by helping authorities collect taxes from its drivers’’.
BY JULIA MUELLER - 07/10/22
An Uber sign is displayed inside a car in Palatine, Ill., Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. As Uber pushed into markets around the world, the ride-sharing service lobbied political leaders to relax labor and taxi laws and used a “kill switch″ to thwart regulators and law enforcement. Uber also channeled money through Bermuda and other tax havens and considered portraying violence against its drivers as a way to gain public sympathy. That’s according to a report released Sunday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Leaked internal communications reveal how rideshare giant Uber exploited violence against its drivers to boost public opinion, and sometimes flouted laws, as the company battled against taxi drivers and regulators in its rapid expansion in cities across the world.
After Uber drivers were sent to a taxi-industry protest in France in 2016, co-founder and then-CEO Travis Kalanick reportedly sent a text saying the risk to drivers’ safety was “worth it” and that “violence guarantees success.”
Kalanick’s comment is among the “Uber Files,” 124,000 documents leaked to The Guardian and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and other major outlets including the Washington Post.
“Get some sleep when you can,” said Nairi Hourdajian, Uber’s head of communications, to one of its lobbyists in Europe in 2014. “Remember that everything is not in your control, and that sometimes we have problems because, well, we’re just f—— illegal.”
After four Uber drivers were attacked in 2015 by taxi drivers in the Netherlands — protesting Uber’s use of nonprofessional drivers on the grounds that it was illegal — the company’s general manager in Belgium, Niek Van Leeuwen, apparently wrote to Kalanick and others: “We keep the violence narrative going for a few days, before we offer the solution.”
By prolonging the narrative of violence, executives hoped to pressure politicians to weigh in on the issue and pump up publicity in Uber’s favor.
“Excellent work. This is exactly what we wanted and the timing is perfect,” wrote Uber’s head of public policy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Mark MacGann, after the incidents.
Discussing an attack by taxi drivers against one of its cars in Belgium, company lobbyist Cristian Samoilovich wrote, “We need to use this in our favour.”
The Guardian’s Uber Files also found that French President Emmanuel Macron, then France’s finance minister, helped Uber access the French cabinet – and that U.S. President Biden, then vice president, changed a speech to refer more favorably to the company after a meeting with Kalanick in 2016.Ukraine defense chief says US rocket systems have been ‘game-changer’Is federal government dooming efforts to address climate change?
In a statement released Sunday, a spokesperson for Kalanick denied allegations that Uber acted illegally.
Uber acknowledged that its “mistakes” under Kalanick “culminated in one of the most infamous reckonings in the history of corporate America,” but that the company has changed since it ousted its founder and hired new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in 2017.
But the company continued to grapple with controversy: just last month, it shared a report cataloging nearly 4,000 sexual assault claims on its rides in 2019-20, which was a decline on previous years.
[File: Brendan McDermid/Reuters]
Bloomberg
Published On 11 Jul 202211 Jul 2022
Uber Technologies Inc. attempted to lobby politicians and flouted laws as part of efforts to expand globally from 2013 to 2017, according to newspaper reports based on leaked documents.
The company allegedly received assistance in its efforts from politicians including French President Emmanuel Macron, reports from outlets including the Guardian and Le Monde said. The so-called “Uber Files” — based on more than 124,000 documents shared with the non-profit International Consortium of Investigative Journalists — cover a period of time when co-founder Travis Kalanick was chief executive officer and detail the lengths to which the company sought to expand into key cities like Paris.
In a statement released shortly after the reports were published, Uber didn’t deny any of the allegations and instead focused on the changes that have been made since Dara Khosrowshahi was named CEO in 2017.
“There has been no shortage of reporting on Uber’s mistakes prior to 2017,” the San Francisco-based company said in a statement. “Thousands of stories have been published, multiple books have been written — there’s even been a TV series.”
Uber said that Khosrowshahi has transformed the company, making safety a top priority.
“When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean it literally: 90% of current Uber employees joined after Dara became CEO,” according to the statement.
Uber’s aggressive tactics as it took on the taxi industry have been reported on for years. Bloomberg News reported in 2018 that the company had deployed a remote system to prevent police from obtaining internal data during raids.
French newspaper Le Monde reported on text messages between Kalanick and Macron while he was finance minister. There were a total of four meetings between the two and a secret “deal” was put in place between Uber executives and French politicians, it said.
As finance minister, Macron was “naturally brought to exchange with numerous companies engaged in the profound mutation of services that occurred during the years mentioned,” a spokesperson for the Elysee said, adding that he sought “to facilitate by untying certain administrative or regulatory locks.”
According to the documents, Uber withdrew its person-to-person UberPop service in France in 2015 and a few months later, a law making it difficult to become a licensed Uber driver was modified in favor of the ride-hailing company, infuriating taxi drivers.
During anti-Uber protests in Paris and other European cities in 2016, Kalanick had dismissed internal concerns about potential violence against Uber drivers, according to the leaked documents. The company instead sought to use the violent attacks against its drivers at the time to win public sympathy, the reports said.
Published On 11 Jul 202211 Jul 2022
Uber Technologies Inc. attempted to lobby politicians and flouted laws as part of efforts to expand globally from 2013 to 2017, according to newspaper reports based on leaked documents.
The company allegedly received assistance in its efforts from politicians including French President Emmanuel Macron, reports from outlets including the Guardian and Le Monde said. The so-called “Uber Files” — based on more than 124,000 documents shared with the non-profit International Consortium of Investigative Journalists — cover a period of time when co-founder Travis Kalanick was chief executive officer and detail the lengths to which the company sought to expand into key cities like Paris.
In a statement released shortly after the reports were published, Uber didn’t deny any of the allegations and instead focused on the changes that have been made since Dara Khosrowshahi was named CEO in 2017.
“There has been no shortage of reporting on Uber’s mistakes prior to 2017,” the San Francisco-based company said in a statement. “Thousands of stories have been published, multiple books have been written — there’s even been a TV series.”
Uber said that Khosrowshahi has transformed the company, making safety a top priority.
“When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean it literally: 90% of current Uber employees joined after Dara became CEO,” according to the statement.
Uber’s aggressive tactics as it took on the taxi industry have been reported on for years. Bloomberg News reported in 2018 that the company had deployed a remote system to prevent police from obtaining internal data during raids.
French newspaper Le Monde reported on text messages between Kalanick and Macron while he was finance minister. There were a total of four meetings between the two and a secret “deal” was put in place between Uber executives and French politicians, it said.
As finance minister, Macron was “naturally brought to exchange with numerous companies engaged in the profound mutation of services that occurred during the years mentioned,” a spokesperson for the Elysee said, adding that he sought “to facilitate by untying certain administrative or regulatory locks.”
According to the documents, Uber withdrew its person-to-person UberPop service in France in 2015 and a few months later, a law making it difficult to become a licensed Uber driver was modified in favor of the ride-hailing company, infuriating taxi drivers.
During anti-Uber protests in Paris and other European cities in 2016, Kalanick had dismissed internal concerns about potential violence against Uber drivers, according to the leaked documents. The company instead sought to use the violent attacks against its drivers at the time to win public sympathy, the reports said.
A spokesperson for Kalanick disputed the allegations in a detailed statement to the Washington Post, one of several news organizations that wrote about the documents.
“Mr. Kalanick never suggested that Uber should take advantage of violence at the expense of driver safety,” according to the statement. “Any accusation that Mr. Kalanick directed, engaged in, or was involved in any of these activities is completely false.”
“Mr. Kalanick never suggested that Uber should take advantage of violence at the expense of driver safety,” according to the statement. “Any accusation that Mr. Kalanick directed, engaged in, or was involved in any of these activities is completely false.”
SOURCE: BLOOMBERG
Uber 'used stealth technology to block scrutiny', report claims
By Associated Press
Jul 11, 2022
As Uber aggressively pushed into markets around the world, the ride-sharing service lobbied political leaders to relax labour and taxi laws, used a "kill switch″ to thwart regulators and law enforcement, channelled money through Bermuda and other tax havens and considered portraying violence against its drivers as a way to gain public sympathy, according to a report.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a non-profit network of investigative reporters, scoured internal Uber texts, emails, invoices and other documents to deliver what it called "an unprecedented look into the ways Uber defied taxi laws and upended workers' rights".
The documents were first leaked to the British newspaper The Guardian, which shared them with the consortium.
In a written statement, Uber spokesperson Jill Hazelbaker acknowledged "mistakes″ in the past and said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, hired in 2017, had been "tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates".
"When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean it literally: 90 per cent of current Uber employees joined after Dara became CEO,″ Khosrowshahi said.
Founded in 2009, Uber sought to skirt taxi regulations and offer inexpensive transport via a ride-sharing app.
The consortium's Uber Files revealed the extraordinary lengths that the company undertook to establish itself in nearly 30 countries.
The company's lobbyists — including ex-aides to former US president Barack Obama — pressed government officials to drop their investigations, rewrite labour and taxi laws and relax background checks on drivers, the papers show.
The investigation found that Uber used "stealth technology″ to fend off government investigations.
The company, for example, used a "kill switch″ that cut access to Uber servers and blocked authorities from grabbing evidence during raids in at least six countries.
The consortium also reported that Kalanick saw the threat of violence against Uber drivers in France by aggrieved taxi drivers as a way to gain public support. "Violence guarantee(s) success,″ Kalanick texted colleagues.
In a response to the consortium, Kalanick spokesman Devon Spurgeon said the former CEO "never suggested that Uber should take advantage of violence at the expense of driver safety".
The Uber Files say the company cut its tax bill by millions of dollars by sending profits through Bermuda and other tax havens, then "sought to deflect attention from its tax liabilities by helping authorities collect taxes from its drivers".
The Uber files – leak unmasks taxi firm’s ruthless expansion tactics
As Uber aggressively pushed into markets around the world, the ride-sharing service lobbied political leaders to relax labour and taxi laws, used a "kill switch″ to thwart regulators and law enforcement, channelled money through Bermuda and other tax havens and considered portraying violence against its drivers as a way to gain public sympathy, according to a report.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a non-profit network of investigative reporters, scoured internal Uber texts, emails, invoices and other documents to deliver what it called "an unprecedented look into the ways Uber defied taxi laws and upended workers' rights".
The documents were first leaked to the British newspaper The Guardian, which shared them with the consortium.
Ride share giant Uber used aggressive tactics in its global expansion, a new report has claimed. (AAPSupplied)
In a written statement, Uber spokesperson Jill Hazelbaker acknowledged "mistakes″ in the past and said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, hired in 2017, had been "tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates".
"When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean it literally: 90 per cent of current Uber employees joined after Dara became CEO,″ Khosrowshahi said.
Founded in 2009, Uber sought to skirt taxi regulations and offer inexpensive transport via a ride-sharing app.
The consortium's Uber Files revealed the extraordinary lengths that the company undertook to establish itself in nearly 30 countries.
The company's lobbyists — including ex-aides to former US president Barack Obama — pressed government officials to drop their investigations, rewrite labour and taxi laws and relax background checks on drivers, the papers show.
The investigation found that Uber used "stealth technology″ to fend off government investigations.
The company, for example, used a "kill switch″ that cut access to Uber servers and blocked authorities from grabbing evidence during raids in at least six countries.
During a police raid in Amsterdam, the Uber Files reported, former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick personally issued an order: "Please hit the kill switch ASAP ... Access must be shut down in AMS (Amsterdam).″
A report has claimed former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick saw the threat of violence against Uber drivers in France by aggrieved taxi drivers as a way to gain public support.
The consortium also reported that Kalanick saw the threat of violence against Uber drivers in France by aggrieved taxi drivers as a way to gain public support. "Violence guarantee(s) success,″ Kalanick texted colleagues.
In a response to the consortium, Kalanick spokesman Devon Spurgeon said the former CEO "never suggested that Uber should take advantage of violence at the expense of driver safety".
The Uber Files say the company cut its tax bill by millions of dollars by sending profits through Bermuda and other tax havens, then "sought to deflect attention from its tax liabilities by helping authorities collect taxes from its drivers".
The Uber files – leak unmasks taxi firm’s ruthless expansion tactics
'Kill switch': Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo: Anthony Devlin
Dana Hall
July 11 2022
Taxi-hailing firm Uber lobbied political leaders to relax labour and taxi laws, used a “kill switch’’ to thwart regulators, channelled money through tax havens and considered portraying violence against its drivers as a way to gain public sympathy, according to a new report.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists scoured internal Uber texts, emails, invoices and other documents to deliver what it called “an unprecedented look into the ways Uber defied taxi laws and upended workers’ rights’’.
Uber spokesperson Jill Hazelbaker acknowledged “mistakes’’ in the past and said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, hired in 2017, had been “tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates ...
"When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean it literally: 90pc of current Uber employees joined after Dara became CEO.’’
Founded in 2009, Uber sought to skirt taxi regulations and offer inexpensive transportation via an app. The consortium’s so-called “Uber Files” revealed the extraordinary lengths that the company undertook to establish itself in 30 countries.
The company’s lobbyists – including former aides to President Barack Obama – pressed government officials to drop their investigations, rewrite labour and taxi laws and relax background checks on drivers, the papers show.
The investigation found that Uber used “stealth technology’’ to fend off government investigations. The company, for example, used a “kill switch’’ that cut access to Uber servers and blocked authorities from grabbing evidence during raids in at least six countries. During a police raid in Amsterdam, the Uber Files reported, former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick personally issued an order: “Please hit the kill switch ASAP ... Access must be shut down in AMS (Amsterdam).’’
The consortium also reported that Mr Kalanick saw the threat of violence against Uber drivers in France by aggrieved taxi drivers as a way to gain public support. “Violence guarantee(s) success,’’ Mr Kalanick texted colleagues.
The Uber Files say the company cut its tax bill by millions of dollars by sending profits through Bermuda and other tax havens, then “sought to deflect attention from its tax liabilities by helping authorities collect taxes from its drivers’’.
Dana Hall
July 11 2022
Taxi-hailing firm Uber lobbied political leaders to relax labour and taxi laws, used a “kill switch’’ to thwart regulators, channelled money through tax havens and considered portraying violence against its drivers as a way to gain public sympathy, according to a new report.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists scoured internal Uber texts, emails, invoices and other documents to deliver what it called “an unprecedented look into the ways Uber defied taxi laws and upended workers’ rights’’.
Uber spokesperson Jill Hazelbaker acknowledged “mistakes’’ in the past and said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, hired in 2017, had been “tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates ...
"When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean it literally: 90pc of current Uber employees joined after Dara became CEO.’’
Founded in 2009, Uber sought to skirt taxi regulations and offer inexpensive transportation via an app. The consortium’s so-called “Uber Files” revealed the extraordinary lengths that the company undertook to establish itself in 30 countries.
The company’s lobbyists – including former aides to President Barack Obama – pressed government officials to drop their investigations, rewrite labour and taxi laws and relax background checks on drivers, the papers show.
The investigation found that Uber used “stealth technology’’ to fend off government investigations. The company, for example, used a “kill switch’’ that cut access to Uber servers and blocked authorities from grabbing evidence during raids in at least six countries. During a police raid in Amsterdam, the Uber Files reported, former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick personally issued an order: “Please hit the kill switch ASAP ... Access must be shut down in AMS (Amsterdam).’’
The consortium also reported that Mr Kalanick saw the threat of violence against Uber drivers in France by aggrieved taxi drivers as a way to gain public support. “Violence guarantee(s) success,’’ Mr Kalanick texted colleagues.
The Uber Files say the company cut its tax bill by millions of dollars by sending profits through Bermuda and other tax havens, then “sought to deflect attention from its tax liabilities by helping authorities collect taxes from its drivers’’.
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