Travis Kalanick, Uber CEO, has officially resigned from the ride-sharing app.
Uber is having a rough 2017 and the announcement Tuesday of the resignation of CEO Travis Kalanick felt to many like the natural culmination of these events. After announcing he would be taking a leave of absence, Kalanick followed up barely a week later with announcing his formal resignation.
The car-sharing startup has been unable to shake controversy and negative public opinion all year, both related directly to Kalanick and more broadly to the culture of the company. This has included everything from unethical labor practices and sexual harassment to intellectual property theft and political associations that distanced consumers.
In a formal statement, reported by CNN Money, Kalanick said:
I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight.
Uber has made efforts to address public concerns this year. Kalanick stepped down from the presidential advisory board and hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to address the company’s spotty history of inadequately responding to sexual harassment cases. The board has lightly been pressuring leadership out and driving organizational change. Presumably, Kalanick’s departure is meant to appear as a hard turn of a new page.
Without Kalanick, the lack of leadership at Uber is even more apparent. The company is without a CEO, COO, CMO, CFO or president. The company is also missing general counsel, an SVP of engineering and a president of ride-sharing. Not to mention the fact that much of the remaining leadership is new and previously reported directly to Kalanick.
Kalanick’s departure is hardly surprising, but it does create definitive pressure for Uber’s board to take action in the right direction.
