An investigation uncovers Uber’s mafia practices implanted in cities around the world. Travis Kalanick, one of the company’s founders, admits in one of the leaked files that they act as “hackers” and that they are “damn illegal.”
the american company Uber managed to penetrate the most important cities around the world thanks to a strategy that continued breaking laws, cheating and doing lobby in the highest realms, according to a leak from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
The more than 124,000 documents included in the Uber files reveals the ethically questionable practices of the company Travis Kalanick ran at the time and courted prime ministers, presidents, billionaires, oligarchs and media moguls.
The leaked documents date from 2013 and 2017 and contain communications from Kalanick himself with his managers. One of them admits that they act like “pirates” and another leaked document states that: “we’re just fucking illegal”
40 countries have been affected by the documents collected by the British newspaper Guardianwhich she has shared with 180 journalists from 29 countries.
In response, they told Uber that “we have not and will not apologize for past behavior that is clearly inconsistent with our current values.” “We ask that they judge us on what we have done in the past five years and what we will be doing in the coming years,” he emphasized.
The documents contain a conversation between Kalanick and the current French president, Emmanuel Macron, the then economy minister, revealing that he secretly helped the company penetrate France by facilitating access to senior officials. Macron even mentions that the company has a secret “agreement” with his rivals within the French government.
Other politicians who were not as responsive were clearly despised by Uber executives, according to these reports. For example, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, demanded an increase in drivers’ wages when he was mayor of Hamburg. “He’s a real clown,” said the company’s leaders.
Until now, the US president, Joe Biden, was despised by Kalanick, who noted a planned meeting between the two at the World Economic Forum in Davos: “I have told my people to tell them that every minute they are late is a minute less than they are at will be me.” At the time, Biden was Barack Obama’s vice president and one of the firm’s strongest supporters.
The business model included services that were economically unsustainable but allowed them to control the market in cities around the world from Moscow to Johannesburg and pressure the authorities into allowing their application to be used.
Uber weaved a network of influence in every country it wanted to establish itself, with gifts or bribesconvince politicians and other interest groups to help your company against the traditional taxi.
use of force
In many cities they were successful, but in others their penetration was not as wide and the offensive was doubled. “It’s a normal part of Uber’s business… Embrace the chaos. You’re doing something important,” Kalanick said of the India entry.
In countries like Belgium, Spain, Italy or France the conflict took to the streets with serious protests from taxi drivers. In Paris, the company encouraged Uber drivers to participate in counter-demonstrations and civil disobedience actions.
When Kalanick was warned of the risk of a reaction from “far-right thugs” and that he was “fueling a fight”, he said “it’s worth it”. “Violence guarantees success and you are dealing with these guys, right?”, he clotted. This strategy is in line with the proposal of another document proposing to “use drivers as weapons” and take advantage of the violence they would undergo “to fuel the fires of controversy”.
This all responded to a script that, according to leaked emails, was being used in Italy, Belgium, Spain or Switzerland. When hooded men, believed to be taxi drivers, attacked Uber drivers with hammers in Amsterdam in 2015, the company won concessions from authorities.
Drivers were encouraged to report the incident to the police. “They will be the front page tomorrow. We will continue for a few more days with the discourse of violence and later the solution” for the taxi “cartel,” says one of the lyrics.
“We are not legal in many countries. We must avoid making controversial statements”, acknowledged one of the directors. “We’ve officially become pirates,” said another.
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Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
