Uber pissed a lot of people off last week with their shenanigans. After everyone caught wind of the ride-sharing company undercutting taxi drivers at JFK airport, the internet went wild and the #DeleteUber movement really ruined Uber Ceo Travis Kalanick's whole thang. Celebrities and thousands of people were on social media scolding the company and Lyft even went as far as pledging to donate $1 million to the ACLU in response to Uber's actions and the #DeleteUber trend.
Kalanick has taken steps to make good on the oversight by pledging a $3 million legal defense fund in addition to offering compensation to drivers who have been barred reentry into the US because of the executive order. Now it appears that he has taken things another step further to prove to the world and the Uber community that he is dedicated to this cause as he announced that he quit President Donald Trump's economic council.
In a memo to his employees, Kalanick says that he personally spoke with Trump to let him know that he could no longer be a part of his council. He also pledges support to immigrants and refugees all over and claims that Uber was misrepresented by his recent choices. You can check out a portion of his letter below and view the full memo here.
Dear Team,
Earlier today I spoke briefly with the President about the immigration executive order and its issues for our community. I also let him know that I would not be able to participate on his economic council. Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the President or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that.
I spent a lot of time thinking about this and mapping it to our values. There are a couple that are particularly relevant:
Inside Out - The implicit assumption that Uber (or I) was somehow endorsing the Administration’s agenda has created a perception-reality gap between who people think we are, and who we actually are.
Just Change - We must believe that the actions we take ultimately move the ball forward. There are many ways we will continue to advocate for just change on immigration but staying on the council was going to get in the way of that. The executive order is hurting many people in communities all across America. Families are being separated, people are stranded overseas and there’s a growing fear the U.S. is no longer a place that welcomes immigrants.
