Travis Kalanick

Following the theft of data concerning approximately 57 million users and drivers, the security team handled the incident through its bug bounty programme and paid the hackers $100,000 in exchange for a confidentiality agreement. Court documents indicate that Kalanick knew about the incident and approved the payment. Uber did not inform the FTC or public before the leadership change.

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

Former CloudKitchens sales employee Isabella Vincenza sued City Storage Systems, Kalanick and other executives in 2024 for wrongful dismissal, sex and pregnancy discrimination, pay disparities and a hostile environment. Other former employees had also brought separate proceedings concerning working conditions or discrimination.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Attribution

Accused

In the first federal bellwether trial among more than 3,000 consolidated sexual assault cases against Uber, a Phoenix jury awarded Jaylynn Dean $8.5 million after finding Uber liable under an 'apparent agency' theory. Trial exhibit lists show that extracts from Travis Kalanick's deposition were designated, and Uber sought to exclude evidence concerning corporate culture citing that deposition. The case, however, concerned an alleged assault in 2023, several years after Kalanick left management.

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

Salad chain Mixt accused Picnic, CloudKitchens' meal delivery service, of reselling its products without permission, displaying allegedly misleading prices and in certain cases delivering food of inadequate quality. The litigation joined other complaints from operators concerning Kalanick's group.

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Several restaurant operators said that sales volumes promised by CloudKitchens representatives had not materialised and complained of staff turnover, deficient equipment or facilities and services differing from those presented during sales discussions. One operator filed a federal complaint alleging misleading business practices.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Uber's model under Kalanick relied on classifying drivers as independent contractors, prompting numerous claims challenging that classification and seeking reimbursement of expenses, pay or social protections. In 2019, Uber reached a $20 million settlement with certain drivers in California and Massachusetts.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Attribution

Direct responsibility

CloudKitchens, Kalanick's new company, raised approximately $400 million from the Saudi Public Investment Fund, valuing the business at around $5 billion. The transaction, kept discreet for a long period, attracted attention because of the political context surrounding Saudi investments after Jamal Khashoggi's murder and the company's secretive culture.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Uber faced major controversy following disclosure of its 'God View' tool, allowing employees to observe customers' movements, and cases of inappropriate access. An executive, Emil Michael, had separately suggested funding investigations into the private lives of critical journalists. The FTC subsequently accused Uber of overstating internal access controls and data security.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

Uber acquired Otto, Anthony Levandowski's start-up, for approximately $680 million before Waymo sued, alleging that Levandowski had taken confidential files and Uber had benefited from trade secrets. Kalanick was questioned at trial about his contacts with Levandowski and the autonomous vehicle strategy.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Attribution

Direct responsibility

A woman raped by an Uber driver in Delhi sued Uber, Kalanick and other executives, alleging that an executive had obtained her medical records and shared them with Kalanick and Emil Michael, and that executives had considered a theory that the case had been orchestrated by a competitor.

Attribution

Accused

Major investor and Uber director Benchmark Capital sued Kalanick after his resignation, alleging, among other things, that he had concealed material information to obtain the right to appoint additional board seats.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Attribution

Accused

The FTC accused Uber of exaggerating the annual or hourly earnings drivers could expect and misleadingly presenting the costs and benefits of its vehicle financing programme. Uber agreed to a $20 million judgment intended to provide refunds.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Following Donald Trump's immigration executive order, Uber faced the #DeleteUber campaign, fuelled by perceptions that the company had benefited from a taxi strike at JFK and by Kalanick's membership of the President's economic advisory council. More than 200,000 account deletions were reported.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

A video showed Kalanick arguing heatedly with an Uber driver who criticised fare reductions and their financial consequences. Kalanick responded aggressively, intensifying criticism of his management style.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Kalanick was among a group of Uber executives who visited a Seoul bar in 2014 where customers selected women to accompany them for karaoke. A female marketing manager present on the trip complained to human resources, and the episode resurfaced during Uber's 2017 internal culture crisis.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Following engineer Susan Fowler's account of sexual harassment and mishandled complaints, Uber commissioned Eric Holder to conduct an independent review. The inquiry produced numerous governance recommendations, dismissals and increasing pressure on Kalanick, who ultimately resigned as CEO under pressure from major investors.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Uber used the Greyball tool to identify people suspected of being police officers or regulators and display a false version of its app to prevent certain enforcement operations. The Uber Files showed that in 2014 Kalanick had approved a Dutch plan expanding use of the tool to counter inspections.

State of the evidence

Documented

Under Kalanick, Uber used device fingerprinting to recognise iPhones after the application had been reinstalled, as part of efforts to combat fraud. According to several sources, Kalanick had requested that data collection be hidden around Apple's headquarters to avoid detection during App Store reviews.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

In May 2017, Uber acknowledged that for approximately two and a half years it had calculated its New York commission on gross fares rather than fares after taxes and fees, underpaying tens of thousands of drivers. The company announced reimbursements averaging approximately $900, amounting to tens of millions in total.

State of the evidence

Admitted by the person

Attribution

Direct responsibility

A secret Uber programme called 'Hell' created fake Lyft accounts and exploited identifiers to map its competitor's drivers, particularly those also working for Uber, enabling them to be targeted more effectively with incentives.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Uber's surge pricing system prompted accusations of price gouging, notably after Hurricane Sandy and during severe weather, when some journeys could cost several times the normal fare. Kalanick publicly defended the mechanism as necessary to encourage more drivers to operate.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

In an interview, Kalanick joked about the increased attention he received from women following Uber's success, saying that the company could be called 'Boob-er'. The remark was widely cited as an example of the masculine, provocative culture associated with the executive.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Uber conducted an internal operation nicknamed SLOG, using phones, credit cards and Lyft accounts to book journeys and recruit drivers from its competitor. Allegations also concerned cancelled bookings disrupting Lyft.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Scour, a file-sharing service co-founded by Travis Kalanick, was sued in 2000 by the music and film industries for approximately $250 billion. Litigation pressure and the drying up of financing led the company into bankruptcy and the sale of its assets.

State of the evidence

Documented