As Uber pushed aggressively into markets around the world, the ride-hailing service lobbied political leaders to loosen labor and taxi laws, used a “kill switch” to thwart regulators and law enforcement, he funneled money through Bermuda and other tax havens and considered violence against her. drivers as a way to gain public sympathy, according to a report released on Sunday. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a nonprofit network of investigative journalists, dug through internal Uber texts, emails, invoices and other documents to provide what it called “an unprecedented look at the ways Uber flouted taxi laws and overturned workers’ rights.” The documents were first leaked to the British newspaper The Guardian, which shared them with the consortium. In a written statement. Uber spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker acknowledged past “mistakes” and said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, hired in 2017, had been “tasked with changing every aspect of how Uber operates… When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean that literally: 90% of Uber’s current employees joined after Dara became CEO.” Founded in 2009, Uber sought to circumvent taxi regulations and offer cheap transportation through a ride-sharing app. The consortium’s Uber Files revealed the extraordinary prospects the company took to establish itself in nearly 30 countries. The company’s lobbyists – including former aides to President Barack Obama – pressured government officials to end their investigations, rewrite labor and taxi laws and loosen background checks on drivers, the documents show. The investigation found that Uber used “stealth technology” to fend off government investigations. The company, for example, used a “kill switch” that cut off access to Uber’s servers and prevented authorities from seizing evidence during raids in at least six countries. During a police raid in Amsterdam, Uber Files reported, former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick personally issued an order: “Please hit the kill switch as soon as possible… Access must be cut off at AMS (Amsterdam ).’ The consortium also said Kalanick saw the threat of violence against Uber drivers in France by aggrieved taxi drivers as a way to win public support. “Violence guarantees success” Kalanick sent to colleagues. In response to the joint venture, Kalanick spokesman Devon Spurgeon said the former CEO “never suggested that Uber should exploit violence at the expense of driver safety.” The Uber Files says the company reduced its taxes by millions of dollars by sending profits through Bermuda and other tax havens and then “attempted to distract from its tax obligations by helping authorities collect taxes from its drivers.” Be smart with your money. Get the latest investment information delivered straight to your inbox three times a week with the Globe Investor newsletter. Sign up today.
