“Take Responsibility For Your Own Shit” Says Uber CEO While Arguing With Driver Over Declining Fares
Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber on Tuesday got into a heated argument with a driver on falling fares according to a report by Bloomberg.
During the rideโbooked through Uber Black, the companyโs high-end serviceโone of Kalanickโs companions makes mention of Uber having a hard year.
โI make sure every year is a hard year,โ Kalanick responds. โThatโs kind of how I roll. I make sure every year is a hard year. If itโs easy Iโm not pushing hard enough.โ
As the ride appears to come to an end, Kamel tells the riders to โhave a good one.โ Kalanick responds as if he is familiar with the driver, stating, โGood to see you man.โ At that point Kamel begins a conversation with Uberโs CEO about the plight of driving for the company.
โI donโt know if you remember me, but itโs fine,โ Kamel says, before the two start talking about Uberโs black car service.
In the video, which was published by Bloomberg, the driver in a dash cam tells Kalanick that โpeople are not trusting you anymore,โ and complains that rates for drivers have fallen.
Further, Kalanick is shown arguing with his driver over fares. Later, the argument gets heated and ends with Kalanick telling the driver to stop blaming Uber for his problems.
โSome people donโt like to take responsibility for their own s**t. They blame everything in their life on somebody else.โ Kalanick said as he got out of the car and slammed the door. “Good luck!”
Watch the video here:
After this incident and when the video went viral, Kalanick issued an apology on Tuesday night. โBy now Iโm sure youโve seen the video where I treated an Uber driver disrespectfully,โ Kalanick wrote on Uberโs blog. โTo say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement. My job as your leader is to leadโฆand that starts with behaving in a way that makes us all proud. That is not what I did, and it cannot be explained away. Itโs clear this video is a reflection of me โ and the criticism weโve received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up. This is the first time Iโve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it.โ
This incident just adds to what has already been a relatively rough couple of months for Uber , which involves everything from the company being sued by Alphabet Incโs self-driving vehicle unit Waymo Uber for allegedly stealing designs related to autonomous vehicles, to the resignation of a top exec to allegations of sexual harassment to internal leaks detailing a chaotic companywide culture of sexism and unprofessional business practices.
Source: Bloomberg