Ride-hailing giant Uber says it will become a more humane company after a number of recent controversies.
On Tuesday, Uber held a conference call with a number of journalists who reported on alleged sexual harassment within the company as well as video of CEO Travis Kalanick getting into a verbal confrontation with a driver.
Speaking during the call, the head of Uber’s operations in the United States and Canada, Rachel Holt said that the controversies have yet to damage its business and that ridership in the U.S. continues to grow.
Kalanick was suspiciously absent from the conference call but company representatives say he was busy conducting interviews for a chief operating officer to offer him help running he company, reports The Detroit News.
In recent months, reports have emerged that Kalanick created a “boorish” and male-focused workplace culture at Uber and following coverage of his altercation with a driver, the 40-year-old said he would find a CFO and admitted he needed to grow up.
Discussing Kalanick, Uber’s only female board member Arianna Huffington said that he “started as a scrappy entrepreneur and now he needs to bring the changes in himself and in the way he leads. I am personally a big believer in leaders and companies being allowed to evolve. I have seen personally Travis’ evolution, having spent a lot of time with him over the last five weeks. I know this is real for him.
“I will be holding their [management] feet to the fire. Uber must change to be as successful in the next decade as it has been in the last seven years”, Huffington said.
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