Travis Kalanick: Uber’s former CEO to resign from company board
‘It seems like the right moment for me to focus on my current business and philanthropic pursuits,’ says billionaire businessman
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The ex-chief executive of Uber Travis Kalanick will step down from the board of the ride-sharing app next week.
Mr Kalanick, who co-founded the tech giant ten years ago, said he would now focus his energies on new businesses and philanthropy.
The 43-year-old billionaire helped shape Uber into becoming the most valuable startup in the world which has logged 15 billion trips since 2010.
Mr Kalanick resigned as Uber’s CEO in June 2017 after a slew of scandals about sexual harassment, gender discrimination and a machismo culture at the firm, but continued to stay on Uber’s board.
The Los Angeles-born businessman recently sold more than $2.5 billion worth of shares in the company which is over 90 per cent of his holdings.
“Uber has been a part of my life for the past ten years,” Mr Kalanick said in a statement. “At the close of the decade, and with the company now public, it seems like the right moment for me to focus on my current business and philanthropic pursuits ... I will continue to cheer for its future from the sidelines.”
Since leaving Uber, he has launched a new startup called CloudKitchens which rents out space to restaurants running delivery firms.
While Uber has yet to decide on someone to replace Mr Kalanick’s board position, a spokesperson for the firm told CNBC they have “strong director candidates to put forward at the appropriate time.”
Mr Kalanick was replaced with Dara Khosrowshahi, a travel industry exec who was formerly CEO of Expedia Group, when he stepped down as CEO.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments