New Delhi: In less than ten years, the Uber brand has grown into a verb in India. It was formerly a Silicon Valley start-up and now has operations in 72 countries and is valued at $44 billion.
However, a leak suggests that its accelerated growth in several key markets around the world is now being attributed to dodging regulations, influencing lawmakers and taking advantage of loopholes. The stolen “Uber files”, obtained by The Guardian and provided to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), are said to contain 124,000 internal emails, text messages and documents from Uber. Read more: Starbucks adds ‘desi’, masala chai, filter coffee to menu
The leaked documents, also evaluated by The India Express, shed light on the tenure of the company’s previous CEO, Travis Kalanick, who resigned in 2017 following claims that he fostered a toxic workplace and even That also ignored sexual harassment and gender discrimination at Uber. , The leaked documents are from 2013 to 2017. Read more: Attractive FD offers by leading banks: PNB vs UCO Bank vs Union Bank of India vs Punjab & Sind Bank
One such file purportedly shows how Uber blamed India’s “flawed” criminal database for raping a 25-year-old passenger in New Delhi in December 2014, instead of taking responsibility for the driver suspected.
Remember that nothing is in your control and sometimes we run into issues because, well, we’re just s*** illegal, Uber communications director Nary Overdajian wrote in an email to a colleague after the incident. that it causes panic within India’s operations.
Additionally, it is claimed that Uber has an internal strategy known as a “kill switch” to intercept internal software to avoid government raids. This includes ordering Uber management to obtain information about possible office raids and ordering IT personnel to disable access to the company’s primary data systems. In short, it prevents investigators from obtaining information.
According to The Guardian, Uber used this tactic at least 12 times during raids in Hungary, Romania, France, the Netherlands and India. The Regional Transport Office searched its Bengaluru office in 2014, and allegations of non-compliance resulted in a separate raid in July 2021.
In a worldwide context, the exposed Uber documents show how the company worked closely with national authorities to undermine local taxi services. For example, it is said that the papers demonstrate the friendship between CEO Travis Kalanick and French President Emmanuel Macron, who is said to have assisted with business in France while serving as Minister of the Economy. . According to rumours, Macron “went to extraordinary lengths to promote Uber, even informing the firm that he had arranged a secret “deal” with his rivals in the French cabinet.
The former CEO of Uber reportedly urged his crew to disregard the safety of his drivers during the taxi attacks and riots in Paris, saying, “I think it’s worth it…[s] success.”
In addition, Kalanick appears to have collaborated on expanding his activities with current US President Joe Biden and former Hamburg mayor and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. According to leaked documents, Biden also changed his scheduled speech in Davos after meeting with the former CEO, to allow Uber and the business to give drivers “the freedom to work as many hours as they want, to take control of their lives as they wish.” can be given.”
Uber acknowledged “mistakes and blunders” in the past in response to the revelation from The Guardian, but claimed to have changed since 2017. Dara Khosrowshahi now serves as the CEO of the company.
The leaked claim was dismissed by Kalanick’s spokesman, who said he never advocated for Uber to profit from violence “at the expense of driver safety”.