THE CEO AND COFOUNDER OF UBER TRAVIS KALANICK HAS CAUGHT
HIMSELF IN YET ANOTHER CONTROVERSY.
OF COURSE UBER HAS BEEN IN THE NEWS QUITE A BIT LATELY.
JUST YESTERDAY THERE WERE HEADLINES INDICATING THAT
THEIR VP OF ENGINEERING HAD BEEN LET GO - HE WAS BASICALLY
FORCED TO RESIGN BECAUSE HE DIDN'T DISCLOSE THAT HE WAS
ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT WHEN HE WAS WORKING AT GOOGLE.
TODAY WE HAVE VIDEO THAT WAS LEAKED OR RELEASED I SHOULD
SAY BY AN UBER DRIVER WHO WAS ACTUALLY DRIVING TRAVIS
KALANICK ONE NIGHT IN EARLY FEBRUARY AND GOT INTO A
LITTLE BIT OF A TIFF WITH HIM.
VIDEO SURFACED THAT SHOWED DASHBOARD CAMERA FOOTAGE OF
HIM ARGUING WITH AN UBER DRIVER WHO JUST GIVEN HIM A RIDE.
IN THE VIDEO, FAWZI KAMEL WHO GAVE A RECORDING OF THE
CONVERSATION TO BLOOMBERG TELLS KALANICK THAT HE AND OTHER
DRIVERS SUFFERED AS A RESULT OF LOWER FARES FOR WRITERS.
NOW WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU A PORTION OF THE VIDEO, BUT I
WANT TO BE CLEAR.
THE VIDEO IS OVER SIX MINUTES LONG.
WE CANíT SHOW YOU THE WHOLE THING.
I THINK YOU SHOULD WATCH THE WHOLE THING SO YOU CAN
UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE VIDEO IS ACTUALLY VERY CALM AND
KALANICK IS TRYING TO HAVE A CALM CONVERSATION WITH HIM, TO
BE FAIR WITH HIM.
THIS IS WHERE THINGS START TO GET A LITTLE LOUD.
TAKE A LOOK.
WE COULD GO HIGHER AND MORE EXPENSIVE.
HERE'S THE THING, WE COULD DO A LOT IN SAN FRANCISCO.
I HAVE GUYS WORKING ON LOTS WHICH WILL BE 50 TO 75% MORE.
PEOPLE DON'T TRUST YOU ANYMORE.
DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WOULD BUY CARS ANYMORE?
ONLY THROUGH YOUR APP.
NOBODY WANTS TO BUY ONE.
I LOST $97000 BECAUSE OF YOU.
I WENT BANKRUPT BECAUSE OF YOU.
YOU KEEP CHANGING EVERY DAY.
HOLD ON A SECOND, WHAT HAVE I CHANGED ABOUT BLACK?
THE WHOLE BUSINESS.
YOU DROP THE PRICES.
ON BLACK?
YES YOU DID.
WE STARTED WITH $20.
HOW MUCH IS A MILE NOW?
275?
YOU KNOW WHAT?
SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR
OWN STUFF.
THEY BLAME EVERYBODY ELSE.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU TOO BUT I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO FAR.
OKAY SO HE WAS VERY APOLOGETIC AFTER THE VIDEO SURFACED.
HE RELEASED A STATEMENT TO THE EMPLOYEES AND HERE ARE
THE RELEVANT PARTS OF THAT NOTE.
HE SAID THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE BEEN WILLING TO ADMIT
THAT I NEED LEADERSHIP HELP.
AND I INTEND TO GET IT.
HE ALSO SAID TO SAY THAT I AM ASHAMED IS AN EXTREME
UNDERSTATEMENT.
MY JOB AS A LEADER IS TO LEAD A BY BEHAVING IN A
WAY THAT MAKES US ALL PROUD.
THIS IS NOT WHAT I DID, AND IT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED AWAY.
OKAY, I AM GOING TO SURPRISE YOU GUYS IN A COUPLE OF
DIFFERENT WAYS HERE.
1ST OFF, I THINK WHAT HE DID WAS NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL.
DO YOU AGREE?
I AGREE ACTUALLY.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO WHICH AGAIN, I THINK YOU ALL
SHOULD DO.
WEíLL PUT THE LINK IN THE DESCRIPTION.
I THINK IN THE BEGINNING HE WAS TRYING TO DO HIS BEST TO
EXPLAIN WHATEVER BUSINESS MODEL CHANGES UBER DECIDED TO MAKE AND
HE WAS TRYING TO HAVE A CORDIAL DISCUSSION WITH HIM AND
THEN THEY STARTED GETTING LOUD WITH ONE ANOTHER AND TO BE
HONEST WITH YOU, I THINK MOST PEOPLE IN THAT SITUATION
WOULD PROBABLY REACT THE WAY KALANICK DID.
MAYBE THAT IS COMING FROM ME AND MAYBE I AM BIASED BECAUSE I
ALSO TEND TO GET VERY FIERY WHEN I'M GETTING INTO
DISCUSSIONS LIKE THAT.
I DON'T THINK HE REALLY DISRESPECTED HIM AND ALSO,
THE CLAIM THAT THE GUY LOST $97,000
AND WENT BANKRUPT BECAUSE OF UBER?
I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE THERE'S SOME CREDIBILITY TO THAT BUT I
AM NOT NECESSARILY BUYING IT.
NO, I HATE TO SAY IT BUT I AM NOT WITH THE DRIVER IN
ALMOST ANYTHING HERE.
NUMBER ONE, THAT WAS NOT THAT LOUD.
ALL THE HEADLINES MAKE IT SEEM LIKE HE WAS RIPPING HIS
HEAD OFF.
THEY GOT A LITTLE TESTY AT THE END.
2ND OF ALL I ACTUALLY AGREE WITH KALANICK ABOUT PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY.
GUYS BEFORE YOU FLIP OUT, I GET IT.
UBER DOES NOT HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE AND ALL THOSE
OTHER THINGS THAT WE DO FOR EXAMPLE AT TYT BUT IT IS A
DIFFERENT BUSINESS.
THE THING THAT DRIVES ME CRAZY AND AGAIN A LOT OF LIBERALS WILL
DISAGREE WITH ME, IS THIS IDEA THAT YOU PROMISED ME
SOMETHING WHEN THEY DIDN'T.
KALANICK NEVER SAID HE WAS GOING TO GIVE YOU HEALTH INSURANCE.
HE SAID YOU WERE GOING TO BE AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR.
HE NEVER SAID HE WASN'T GOING TO CHANGE THE
PRICES AND HE LOWERED PRICES FOR CONSUMERS.
THAT IS ALSO GOOD FOR THE CONSUMERS.
THEY WERE PEOPLE WHO COMPLAINED ABOUT, ARIANNA
DIDN'T PLAY PAY ME TO BLOG.
SHE NEVER SAID SHE WAS GOING TO DO THAT.
SHE NEVER SAID THAT TO US.
NEVER SAID THAT.
THE TRADE WAS YOU WERE GOING TO GET
EXTRA PUBLICITY IF YOU PUT IT ON HUFFINGTON POST AND WE ARE
GOING TO HAVE YOUR ARTICLE.
IN THE CASE OF UBER THE TRADE IS YOU GET TO DO THIS JOB,
NOBODY IS MAKING YOU BE AN UBER DRIVER.
NO ONE IS FORCING YOU TO DO THAT.
AND IN RETURN, UBER IS GOING TO MAKE MONEY.
THAT IS BUSINESS.
HE SAYS HE WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL DRIVERS AND HE WENT ON
TO COMPLAIN THAT ALL OF THESE ANGEL INVESTORS IN UBER
TURNED THEIR $20,000
INTO MILLIONS BUT THE ORIGINAL UBER BLACK DRIVERS GOT NOTHING.
BUT ANGEL INVESTORS PUT MONEY IN AND YOU DIDN'T.
YOU SIGNED UP FOR A JOB AND THEY DELIVERED THE JOB YOU
SIGNED UP FOR.
THOSE ARE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS.
UBER NEVER TOLD THE DRIVERS BY THE WAY WE'RE GOING TO GIVE
YOU EQUITY IN THE COMPANY?
IF THEY SAID THAT IN I WOULD'VE BEEN 1000%
ON YOUR SIDE BUT THEY NEVER SAID THAT.
I AM NOT TRYING TO MINIMIZE YOUR PAIN AND I GET THE UBER DRIVERS
ARE GETTING REALLY SQUEEZED ON THIS AND THEY ARE WORKING REALLY
HARD SO I KNOW SOME OF YOU ARE GOING TO THINK I'M CALLOUS.
I TOTALLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE
DRIVER IS RIGHT ABOUT ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT HE
CHARGES THE CEO WITH BECAUSE I DON'T THINK HE IS.
I AGREE WITH YOU ON PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAID.
I DO AGREE THAT UBER HAS A LOT OF ISSUES THAT THEY HAVE TO
DEAL WITH.
ONE OF THEM BEING THE MISOGYNY WITHIN THE COMPANY.
ONE OF THEIR TOP FEMALE ENGINEERS LEFT AND
DETAILED SOME OF THE EXPERIENCES THAT SHE HAD AND HOW WHEN
SHE CAME INTO THE COMPANY THERE WAS A SIZABLE PORTION OF
FEMALE EMPLOYEES AND BY THE TIME SHE LEFT IT DWINDLED DOWN TO 6%.
THAT IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE DEALT WITH AND I
THINK THAT IN A FREE MARKETPLACE, YOU ARE GOING
TO HAVE THIS ISSUE WERE UBER IS GOING TO HAVE COMPETITION.
THEY'RE GOING TO MESS AROUND WITH THEIR PRICES AND THEIR
BUSINESS MODEL IN ORDER TO BE PART OF THIS COMPETITIVE
MARKET AND YEAH, IT IS GOING TO IMPACT THEIR DRIVERS.
IT IS UP TO YOU TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT TO
DRIVE FOR THIS COMPANY OR MAYBE ONCE GO DRIVER LEFT HER
ANOTHER COMPANY.
THE THING ABOUT THE STORY THAT I JUST DIDN'T GET IT IS THESE
ACCUSATIONS THAT HE LOST HIS TEMPER BECAUSE I WATCH THE
VIDEO AND I'M LIKE HE'S GONNA LOSE HIS TEMPER, WHEN IS HE
GOING TO JOT NO, HE DIDN'T DIE INCURS THE GUY OUT THAT HE
RAISES WAS A LITTLE BIT AND THEN HE LEFT BEFORE IT BLEW UP.
I KIND OF GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR LEAVING BEFORE BLOWS UP.
THE ONLY THING HE SAID THAT I THINK PEOPLE ARE TAKING A
LOT OF OFFENSE TO IT SOME PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO TAKE PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY AND LOOK, THAT PHRASE RUBS ME THE WRONG
WAY TO BECAUSE USUALLY YOU HEAR FROM RIGHT-WINGERS WHO JUST
WANT TO BASICALLY BELITTLE THE ISSUES AND PROBLEMS OF THE
POOR ARE DEALING WITH TODAY BUT IN THIS CASE, THE ACCUSATION WAS
I LOST $97,000 BECAUSE OF YOU, I WENT BANKRUPT BECAUSE OF YOU.
I JUST THINK THAT IS A CRAZY STATEMENT.
HE LOST HIS TEMPER, LOOK AT THIS YELLING MATCH.
IT KIND OF
DIDN'T HAPPEN IT ALMOST BENEFITS THE CEO BECAUSE OF THAT IS
THE NARRATIVE IN OH MAY BE DETRACT FROM MAYBE THERE'S
SOME REAL PROBLEMS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION OF THIS
BUSINESS BECAUSE THERE PROBABLY THINGS THAT THEY COULD BE
DOING DIFFERENTLY THAT THEY DIDN'T PROMISE, I AGREE, BUT
MAYBE THEY SHOULD START TREATING THEIR EMPLOYEES DIFFERENTLY.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE A REPUTABLE COMPANY THAT RESPECTS
YOUR COMPANY IN ALL ASPECTS BUT IF WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IT, WERE
ONLY GET TO TALK ABOUT, EVEN IF HE DID BLOW OUT AND YOU SAY WHAT
AN ASS HOLE I CAN'T BELIEVE HE DID THAT THE CONVERSATION WENT
IN THERE WHEN TALK ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON WITHIN HIS COUNTRY.
I DON'T KNOW EITHER BECAUSE YOU KEEP TALKING ABOUT HIGH
RESPONSE TO PEOPLE.
EVEN HIS LETTER TO HIS
EMPLOYEES, I'M EMBARRASSED, OKAY, HE APOLOGIZED.
AND TO GIVE YOU EVEN MORE CONTEXT.
THE TWO THINGS, THEY ARE WRONG ABOUT IT BUT PEOPLE ARE
RIGHT TO BRING UP HIS ISSUES.
IF YOU WANT TO FIGHT
FOR UBER DRIVERS SO THEY CAN GET HEALTHCARE BENEFITS AND GET
BETTER PAY, BLESS YOUR HEART.
THAT'S A GREAT FIGHT AND YOU SHOULD DO THAT.
SO THAT IF THEY GET TO CHANGE THE RULES AND CONSUMERS GET A
BREAK BUT THEY GET HEARD.
THAT IS A GREAT FIGHT
AND A LEGITIMATE FIGHT.
BUT AS YOU ARE DOING THAT DON'T PRETEND THEY HAD AN
OBLIGATION THAT THEY DON'T AND IF THEY DON'T WIN THAT
FIGHT, YOU CAN GO TO LYFT OR GET ANOTHER JOB.
I'M
SAYING FIGHT BACK IN EVERY WAY THAT IS FAIR IN MY OPINION.
THE SECOND THING IS OF COURSE SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS
ARE TERRIBLE AND THERE HE CAME OUT SUPER AGGRESSIVELY AS
WELL TO TRY TO FIX IT.
HE HAD A MEETING WITH 100 OF THE FEMALE WORKERS UBER AND
THEN HE SAID I EMPATHIZE WITH YOU BUT I CAN NEVER FULLY
UNDERSTAND AND I GET THAT AND I WANT TO ROOT OUT THE INJUSTICE.
LOOK, IS SOME OF THAT DONE FOR DAMAGE CONTROL?
OF COURSE YOU ARE GOING TO DO THAT IF YOU HAVE THOSE ISSUES
AND HE IS GOING TO DO THE OVER-THE-TOP APOLOGY FOR THIS
MILD INCIDENT BECAUSE ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE IS A WHISPER
CAMPAIGN THAT MAYBE HE CAN'T HANDLE BEING CEO OF A
COMPANY THIS LARGE.
HE HAS TO BACKPEDAL.
ON THE OTHER HAND, HE DIDN'T DO THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT SO
I'M JUST GIVING YOU CONTEXT.
IF HE IGNORES IT AND THINKS IT'S NO BIG DEAL THAT'S TERRIBLE.
HE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO IT FOR HAD TO BE HAMSTER SINCE
BUILDING CEO DON THE OTHER HAND, IF HE DOES SOMETHING ABOUT
IT AFTER HE FINDS OUT, THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN, RIGHT?
NOW I SENSE THAT THERE'S A FEEDING FRENZY.
REMEMBER HOW THE THING WE DON'T KNOW HERE OUTSIDE OF THE VALLEY
IS THAT IN THE VALLEY THERE IS A TREMENDOUS IN THE AND
JEALOUSY TOWARD UBER BECAUSE IT IS NOW A $69 BILLION COMPANY.
THEY ARE SO HER IF THEY DIDN'T GET INTO THAT DEAL OR IF
THEY ARE COMPETITORS OR ETC.
THEY ARE JUST PICKING AND PICKING AT THEM.
THE GUY BUILT UP A $69 BILLION COMPANY.
BY THE WAY HE IS A TRUMP SUPPORTER AND HE WAS ON, I DON'T
KNOW IF HE IS A TRUMP SUPPORTER BUT HE WAS GOING TO HAVE
TROUBLED THIS ECONOMIC TEAM AND SO PEOPLE ARE MAD AT HIM FOR
THAT TOO AND YOU KNOW ME, I CAN'T STAND TRUMP BUT LET'S BE
FAIR HERE FINALLY THE GUY THEY JUST FIRED, HE DID SEXUAL
HARASSMENT ALPHABET FORMALLY KNOWN AS GOOGLE.
HE DIDN'T DO IT AT WOBURN UBER IS THE ONE WHO FIRED HIM SO
TO SAY TO THAT IS UBER'S FALL IS MANIACAL.
I HAVEN'T SEEN A LOT OF CRITICISM TOWARD UBER DUE
TO THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE.
UBER ACTUALLY ACTED VERY SWIFTLY WHEN IT CAME TO THAT.
THAT ENGINEER HAD BEEN WORKING THERE FOR ONLY FIVE MONTHS.
THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST
THE ENGINEER AND IMMEDIATELY FORCED HIM TO RESIGN.
I MISSING A LOT OF CRITICISM TOWARD UBER REGARDING THAT
BUT REGARDLESS OF THAT IS STILL ANOTHER CONTROVERSIAL HAIR
HEADLINE THAT IS GOING TO HURT UBER'S IMAGE.
BUT THAT'S ANOTHER CONTROVERSY DOTZLER CONTROVERSY ABOUT UBER.
THEY DID A RIGHT THING.
IF ANYTHING IT'S A CONTROVERSY ABOUT GOOGLE AND I DON'T
KNOW IF IT IS.
I GET A SENSE THAT THEY SINCE BLOOD IN THE WATER SO THERE LIKE
WE FINALLY GET TO THING TAKE DOWN THIS GUY THAT WE'VE
BEEN INCREDIBLY ENVIOUS ON FOR SO LONG.
MAYBE AM WRONG ABOUT THAT AND I AM CERTAINLY NOT SAYING
THAT ABOUT THE UBER DRIVERS, THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.
I'M TALKING ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE WRITING THE STORIES,
THE PEOPLE IN THE VALLEY OR CONSTANTLY LIKE WHAT IT
UBER DO TODAY?
UBER WAS NOT NICE TO PEDESTRIANS.
EVERY DAY THERE'S A NEW STORY ABOUT UBER.
AND SOME OF THEM MAKES SENSE AND SOME OF THEM DON'T MAKE ANY
SENSE AT ALL.
I AM JUST GETTING A LITTLE SENSE THAT EVERYBODY IS A LITTLE
BITTER ABOUT UBER.