Travis Kalanick

In July 2022, the Guardian published the 'Uber Files' - over 124,000 leaked documents showing how Uber under Kalanick aggressively broke laws, secretly lobbied governments, and exploited violence against drivers to gain public sympathy. The files revealed direct communications from Kalanick directing operations in cities where Uber was operating illegally.

In June 2017, five major Uber investors demanded Kalanick's resignation following cascading scandals: the Susan Fowler harassment revelations, the Greyball regulatory evasion tool, the Waymo trade secret theft lawsuit, a leaked video of Kalanick arguing with an Uber driver, and the Eric Holder investigation findings. Kalanick resigned as CEO on June 20, 2017.

Under Kalanick's leadership, Uber developed and deployed 'Greyball,' a secret software tool that identified and evaded government regulators and law enforcement officials attempting to enforce transportation laws. The tool was used from at least 2014 to 2017 across multiple cities and countries. The DOJ investigated the program.

Former Uber engineer Susan Fowler published a blog post in February 2017 detailing pervasive sexual harassment and HR failures at Uber under Kalanick's leadership. The subsequent Eric Holder investigation interviewed 200+ employees, resulting in 20+ firings. The investigation found systemic issues with HR, management, and company culture.

Kalanick joined President Trump's business advisory council in December 2016, then resigned in February 2017 following a #DeleteUber campaign and employee backlash related to Trump's immigration ban. Over 200,000 users reportedly deleted their Uber accounts.