Last week, Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick, released a statement which confirmed he stepped down as Chief Executive of Uber.
How did it all start?
This was the result of the ongoing investigation against Uber’s work culture that neglected sexual harassment reports of female employees and practiced discrimination. This inquiry was initiated after an ex-employee, Susan J. Fowler, posted details of workplace harassment she suffered at Uber.
I wrote something up this weekend about my year at Uber, and why I left: https://t.co/SyREtfLuZH
— Susan J. Fowler (@susanthesquark) February 19, 2017
Susan worked as a software engineer for Uber and, due to inaction against reports submitted to Uber’s Human Resources, she decided to quit her position.
On February 20, she tweeted about the harrowing details of her experience as a female employee at Uber and, within a short time, her post went viral on social media. Within few days, more women employees shared their accounts of harassment working at Uber. The incident that shook the Silicon Valley and questioned the safety of women employees working at the Silicon Valley startups, resulted in Perkins Coie investigation of Uber’s management. More than 20 terminations were issued by the law firm along with 215 cases being reported which included sexual harassment, bullying, and bias.
Among the worse revelations was Eric Alexander’s conduct as President for Uber’s Asia Pacific Business. Not only did he illegally obtained medical data of an Indian rape-survivor, he shared this information with Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick and SVP Emil Michael in business meetings.
This report was distributed among Uber’s top executives. Travis Kalanick was found complicit in this affair as he was aware of the situation. Amidst the controversy, Uber’s Board of Directors, including Arianna Huffington, have continued to show their support for Travis. What came as a shocking revelation to the world on Wednesday was planned days earlier when the Perkins Coie investigation showed troubling results and patterns of ignored harassment behavior at Uber.
Investors lose confidence in Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick
Travis Kalanick was in Chicago to interview candidates for Uber’s now vacant executive positions. Matt Cohler and Peter Fenton of the Silicon Valley firm Benchmark, which is currently Uber’s biggest shareholder, surprised Travis during this interview session. A list of demands was presented to Travis that included a clause that said he needs to resign as Uber’s CEO before the end of the day.
This letter was signed by Uber’s major investors.
As expected, Travis Kalanick did not take this well and asked Arianna Huffington for advice. The latter told him to consider the best course for Uber at this stage. Left without any other option, Travis Kalanick was forced to resign by the investors who were tired of Uber being embroiled in several controversies within a span of one year. Travis, in his brief statement, said that he has accepted investors’ request to step aside. Travis Kalanick created a globally successful business from nothing to a $70 billion company in a short span of 8 years.
