Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick has issued an apology after he was caught on tape arguing with an Uber Black driver over falling fares.
In the 6-minute long clip filmed in San Francisco over Super Bowl weekend, Kalanick takes an Uber ride with two companions. At the end of the ride, he gets into a conversation with the driver, Fawzi Kamel.
With the company’s CEO in the back of his car, Kamel can be heard expressing his concern about the ongoing changes at Uber including alterations with prices.
“You’re raising the standards, and you’re dropping the prices,” Kamel says.
Kalanick then responds by saying “We have to; we have competitors; otherwise, we’d go out of business.”
The conversation eventually turns sour and when Kamel says that he’d lost $97,000 and went bankrupt because of Uber, Kalanick hit out at him.
“Some people don’t like to take responsibility for their own shit. They blame everything in their life on somebody else. Good luck!” he said before exiting the car.
In an apology sent to all Uber employees, Kalanick admitted that he needs leadership help and that he must “grow up”.
By now I’m sure you’ve seen the video where I treated an Uber driver disrespectfully. To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement. My job as your leader is to lead…and that starts with behaving in a way that makes us all proud. That is not what I did, and it cannot be explained away.
It’s clear this video is a reflection of me—and the criticism we’ve received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up. This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it.
I want to profoundly apologize to Fawzi, as well as the driver and rider community, and to the Uber team.
—Travis