Tough Task for Next Uber Leader: Mending Fences With Drivers
In the video, Mr. Kalanick’s driver accused him of dropping prices on Uber rides and told the chief executive
that “I’m bankrupt because of you.” Mr. Kalanick disputed the driver’s accusations and told him curtly that some people “blame everything in their life on somebody else.” Mr. Kalanick later apologized for his conduct in a staff memo, saying that it was proof that “I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up.”
Lyft, Uber’s biggest rival in the United States, has taken full advantage of the acrimony between Uber and its drivers.
Under Mr. Kalanick, the company argued that giving riders the ability to tip drivers would create “friction” in an otherwise seamless transaction
and lead to awkward interactions between riders and drivers.
The company makes a point of emphasizing that in-app tipping has been available to Lyft drivers since 2012,
and the company has made aggressive attempts to paint itself as the more driver-friendly alternative to Uber, while trying to lure Uber’s drivers to its own platform
But amid the drama leading up to Mr. Kalanick’s forced departure, Uber made a quieter change
that could represent another momentous shift for the company.
By KEVIN ROOSEJUNE 22, 2017
The huge, headline-grabbing news out of Uber this week was the resignation of its chief executive, Travis Kalanick, under pressure from the company’s board, a stunning move
that capped a monthslong crisis involving sexual harassment, executive misbehavior and Uber’s hard-nosed culture.
The company even cited a 2008 Cornell University study
that found that consumers tipped black employees less generously than white employees, and suggested that adding in-app tipping would lead to racial discrimination.
