Uber’s co-founder, Travis Kalanick has stepped down as the CEO. The news comes after the company has been recently bombarded with extensive tales of scandal and controversy; Kalanick had also already taken a leave of absence following the death of his mother before now.
According to sources, a group of major Uber investors demanded Kalanick’s immediate resignation earlier this week. Kalanick reluctantly accepted after “hours of discussions”, but will reportedly stay on Uber’s board and still controls a majority of voting shares.
In the statement given to the New York times Kalanick said. “I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors’ request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight”. While the company’s board also gave a farewell statement concerning the bold decision made on the co-founder.
Kalanick co-founded Uber in 2009 and has become synonymous with the company; but their troubles this year started when widespread allegations of sexual harassment, including a video showing Kalanick engaging in an hostile argument with a driver went viral amongst others. The company recently fired more than 20 employees as a result of a probe into its work culture.
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