Uber’s CEO, Travis Kalanick, has resigned from his position as a member of Trump’s economic advisory council after the massive boycott and criticism of the company.
Uber’s non participation in the work stoppage called by the New York Taxi Alliance after Donald Trump announced a ban on immigration of seven Muslim countries coupled with the CEO’s position in advisory council led to the massive criticism and boycott of about 200,000 users.
Mr Travis Kalanick first released a statement on the issue explaining his stand on the ban order. He revealed he was not in support of the ban and explained ways Uber will help all affected drivers. He however defender his position in the council saying
“Ever since Uber’s founding we’ve had to work with governments and politicians of all political persuasions across hundreds of cities and dozens of countries.”
His explanation didn’t help much as within a day, their competitor, Lyft surged up to the 5th most downloaded app on iOs. Mr Kalanick decided to leave the advisory council altogether. In a memo sent out to the press, he wrote;
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.
Immigration and openness to refugees is an important part of our country’s success and quite honestly to Uber’s. I am incredibly proud to work directly with people like Thuan and Emil, both of whom were refugees who came here to build a better life for themselves. I know it has been a tough week for many of you and your families, as well as many thousands of drivers whose stories are heartfelt and heart-wrenching.
Please know, your questions and stories on Tuesday, along with what I heard from drivers, have kept me resilient and reminded me of one of our most essential cultural values, Be Yourself. We will fight for the rights of immigrants in our communities so that each of us can be who we are with optimism and hope for the future.
