Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to Leave Trump Advisory Council After Criticism

Mike Isaac, reporting for the NYT:

The tension over continuing to work with Mr. Trump reached a breaking point at Uber because Mr. Kalanick was, until Thursday, one of the most vocal proponents among tech chiefs of engaging with the president. As recently as Saturday, Mr. Kalanick had publicly said in a blog post that the best route forward was to have “a seat at the table.” He had added, “We partner around the world optimistically in the belief that by speaking up and engaging we can make a difference.”

Outside of the internal pressure, Uber faced other fallout from Mr. Kalanick’s stance. More than 200,000 customers had deleted their accounts.

Protests can work. I’m sure the internal objections from employees helped, but losing 200,000 customers in a week or two is going to get any CEO’s attention.

Elon Musk remains on the board, and issued this tepid statement.

★ Friday, 3 February 2017