A trove of more than 124,000 files leaked to The Guardian has now been published as ‘the Uber files’. The documents reveal the company’s efforts to lobby powerful politicians, thwart law enforcement and encourage violence in the name of success. The investigation covers Uber’s rise between 2013 and 2017 under Travis Kalanick. Reports suggest French President Emmanuel Macron helped the company when he was the country’s economy minister, giving executives direct access to his staff and brokering deals in its favor. The leak also shows that Kalanick encouraged French Uber drivers to stage a counter-protest against taxi lobbyists, even at the risk of their personal safety, saying “violence guarantees success.” Executives were aware of Uber’s illegality — one wrote, “we’re just illegal” — and often instructed IT staff to use a “kill switch” that shuts down internal data systems during police actions. In response to the leak, Uber said the company had transformed under new leadership, but that it “will not make excuses for past behavior.”
Read it in The Guardian
Add Comment