{UAH} WHEELY JUICY Who is Travis Kalanick and why has he quit as Uber CEO? All you need to know

Frank Mujabi,

The Uber Founder and CEO was kicked out today by investors. It just goes to show the power of the big capital that often lies unseen in the background. Mr kalanick, still only 40, dreamt up a start-ap that few thought would conquer the world.  But it has. And along with, has come a can of worms. But the point I want make, is what Karl Marx wrote in the Communist Manifesto in 1848- how ruthless capitalism is.. Capitalism has no permanent friend or enemy. It only has permanent interests. Mr Kalanick is finding out this brutal truth this morning the hard way. He has been ruthlessly kicked out of his own pet project, or what he wrongly thought was his pet project. Nobdoy thought this was possible, even just a few months ago.

 This what Karl Marx said:

 "The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound men to his 'natural superiors,' and has left remaining no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous 'cash payment'. It has drowned the most heavenly ecstasies of religious fervor, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of philistine sentimentalism, in the icy water of egotistical calculation. It has resolved personal worth into exchange value, and in place of the numberless indefeasible chartered freedoms, has set up that single, unconscionable freedom – Free Trade. In one word, for exploitation, veiled by religious and political illusions, it has substituted naked, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation. The bourgeoisie has stripped of its halo every occupation hitherto honored and looked up to with reverent awe. It has converted the physician, the lawyer, the priest, the poet, the man of science, into its paid wage-laborers. The bourgeoisie has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation.' 

But generally, what I leant in law school is that in the corporate world, CEOs last for only 5-7 years and then must be replaced. This is inevtibale and is in fact for the good of the company. A private or family business like Uber was can only be driven so far by the original owners; once they reach a certain stage, the orginial owners may become a liability becauseise of the tremendous powers they hold- of patronage, fear, intimacy, personal vulnerabilities or weaknesses that make them liable to blackmail, familiarity etc- all of which are assets when building the company but become leaibilities as the compnay begins to acquire a life of its own. As a result, almost all family conglmerates have been taken over by investors or have floated to become public companies with the original owners plating a back-seat role. This has happnned to companies like TESCO, Sainsburys etc.

The longevity of  CEOs should also be applicable in politics. A president should have the same shelf life as a CEO- ie 5-7 years because any longer than that, factors like patronage, familiarity, etc will become major obstacles and will inhibit the performamce of even a well meaning leader. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

But try telling that to the Kayibanda Money Museveni arse-licking brigade. The Katerreggas and Irundruas will drwa out their daggers.

Bobby

WHEELY JUICY 

Who is Travis Kalanick and why has he quit as Uber CEO? All you need to know

The businessman from Los Angeles, California, USA, has been embroiled in a number of controversies over the years

By Sophie Roberts

21st June 2017, 9:49 am

 

Updated: 21st June 2017, 9:57 am

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BILLIONAIRE Travis Kalanick is famous for being one of the co-founders of online taxi service Uber.

The businessman has enjoyed a successful career since launching the popular app, but his time at the top has been tarnished by controversy.

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Travis Kalanick, 40, is the co-founder and former CEO of Uber

Who is Travis Kalanick?

Travis Kalanick, 40, was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1976.

After leaving Granada Hills High School, he began studying at the University of California, before dropping out of his degree course.

Following his decision to quit education, Kalanick set up file sharing service Scour in 1998, before starting up a new company called Red Swoosh three years later.

After selling the business to Akamai Technologies for £15million in 2007, he started work on the popular taxi app.

In 2009, Travis and Garrett Camp set up Uber – an app that connects passengers with minicabs and offers up other ridesharing services.

After the service was trialled in San Francisco, it was expanded across other cities.

Remarkably, it now operates across more than 500 cities in at least 60 countries around the world.

Forbes estimates the Uber CEO's net worth to stand at over £5.1billion.

Last year, the popular magazine ranked Kalanick:

• 64^th in the list of Powerful People
• 78^th in Forbes 400
• 35^th Richest in Tech
• 118^th in Billionaires globally
• one of the Global Game Changers of 2016

As it stands, Kalanick doesn't have a lady in his life to share his fortunes with.

Last year, he split from his violinist girlfriend Gabi Holzwarth after nearly two years together.

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Kalanick stepped down as Uber CEO after reported pressure from investors

Why has Travis Kalanick quit as Uber CEO?

Travis Kalanick quit as Uber CEO on June 21 under mounting pressure from investors over his leadership.

The app boss has faced increased scrutiny in recent weeks following an investigation into the culture and workplace practices at the company.

The probe was sparked when a female former employee publicly claimed she had suffered sexual harassment during her time with Uber.

But it was a chorus of demands for changes at the top from some of Uber's biggest financiers that ultimately forced Kalanick out, according to a Reuters source.

Kalanick, who had been on an indefinite leave of absence following the death of his mother in a boating accident, announced his decision to quit in a statement.

It read: "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."

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Uber has been involved in a string of controversies since its creation in 2009

What other controversies has Uber been involved in?

Earlier this year, thousands of Uber users shared screenshots of themselves deleting the app on social media.

The backlash was sparked after the business was accused of profiting from a protest against Donald Trump's ban on Muslim travellers and refugees.

Following the criticism, Kalanick issued a statement distancing himself from the President after leaving his advisory council.

He said: "Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the President or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that.

"There are many ways we will continue to advocate for just change on immigration but staying on the council was going to get in the way of that."

It's not the only controversy to land Kalanick in hot water in recent months.

This month, the Uber boss has admitted he "needs help" after being filmed in a foul-mouthed shouting match with one of his own drivers.

Ever since launching in 2009, Uber has had to fight regulatory and legal battles all over the word.

By 2015 they had been embroiled in at least 70 different legal challenges.

Uber's operations have been viewed as legally dubious because they don't operate with a taxi licence in all cities.

They justify this saying they are a "platform" rather than a taxi firm.

Other controversies involving Uber involve the safety of passengers, strange routes taken by drivers and the over-charging of customers.

In February, it was reported that a man hoping to nip home to Croydon from Brixton ended up travelling via Bristol and was charged £440 by the app.

Earlier this year an Uber passenger was left furious after a 3.5-mile journey ended in a whopping £80 fare… because the driver wrongly accused him of urinating in his vehicle.

And a shocking video emerged of an Uber driver and his passenger brawling on a busy city street.

London drivers have been protesting against the taxi app out of fears that black cabs could be wiped out.

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Uber CEO Travis Kalanick caught on video arguing with driver about far

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