Turnaround at the top of Uber. The founder and CEO of the transportation app, Travis Kalanick, has resigned after receiving various allegations of sexual harassment and sexism. According to the New York Times, which cites two anonymous sources, the decision came at the request of five of the company's largest investors.
These are some of the most prestigious venture capital firms in the technology industry (Benchmark, Capital First Round, Capital Minolta, Menlo Ventures and Fidelity Investments), which together hold more than 25% of the shares and around 40% of the voting power in Uber.
"At this difficult time in my personal life, I have accepted investors' requests to step aside so Uber can get back to building rather than being distracted by another fight," said Kalanick, who will retain her seat on the board. of the company.
Kalanick's troubles began earlier this year when a former Uber engineer alleged she experienced sexual harassment at the company, opening the door to further complaints and prompting an internal investigation.
“Travis has always put Uber before everything else,” the board commented in a statement. “This is a courageous decision and proof of his dedication and love for Uber. By taking a step back, he will be able to have time to recover from the personal tragedy that has befallen him, giving the company the space to fully experience a new chapter in his story. We look forward to resuming working with him on the board."
In parallel, Uber also had to face a lawsuit over intellectual property rights by Waymo, the Google-owned company that deals with self-driving vehicles, as well as a US federal investigation into a used computer program to evade checks by the police.
