SAN FRANCISCO: According to a media investigation, a cache of confidential files from ride-sharing company Uber demonstrates ethically dubious and potentially illegal tactics it used to fuel its frenetic global expansion that began nearly a decade ago.
The investigation, dubbed the “Uber Files,” involving dozens of news organizations, discovered that company officials used the sometimes violent backlash from the taxi industry against drivers to gain support and evade regulatory authorities as it sought to conquer new markets early in its history.
The revelations, culled from 124,000 documents obtained by the British newspaper the Guardian and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, are the latest setback for a company that has been dogged by controversy as it has exploded into a disruptive force in local transportation.
We've been leaked a trove of more than 124,000 confidential files from the tech giant Uber. If you have the app on your phone, you might want to discover the methods that enabled its global expansion…. https://t.co/zE0boamM8f
— Paul Lewis (@PaulLewis) July 10, 2022
The cache contains uncensored text and email exchanges between executives, with highlights from co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick, who was forced to resign in 2017 after allegations of brutal management practices and multiple incidents of sexual and psychological abusive behavior at the company.
“Violence ensures (s) success,” Kalanick messaged other company leaders in 2016, as he pushed for a counter-protest amid sometimes heated protests in Paris against Uber’s entry into the market.
The Washington Post, one of the media outlets involved in the investigation, reported that Uber’s rapid expansion relied on subsidized drivers and discounted fares that undercut the taxi industry, and “often without seeking licenses to operate as a taxi and livery service.”
As taxi drivers felt their means of support were threatened, they faced violent retaliation across Europe. According to the Post, the investigation discovered that “in some cases, when drivers were attacked, Uber executives quickly pivoted to capitalize” to seek public and regulatory support.
According to reports, Uber has used similar strategies in European nations like Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy, mobilizing drivers and enticing them to call the police when they were the victims of violence in order to use media attention to persuade the authorities to grant them concessions.
According to a Kalanick spokesperson, he “never suggested that Uber should take advantage of violence at the expense of driver safety,” strongly disputing the findings as having a “false agenda.”
Uber, on the other hand, attributed the Sunday incident to previously acknowledged “mistakes” made by the Kalanick administration.
It noted that his successor, Dara Khosrowshahi, “was tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates,” saying, “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 labor unions and taxi companies.”
