Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will temporarily step away from running the embattled ride-hailing company as he grieves the recent death of his mother, he told employees in an email Tuesday morning. \u201cRecent events have brought home for me that people are more important than work, and…<\/b>
\nUber CEO Travis Kalanick will temporarily step away from running the embattled ride-hailing company as he grieves the recent death of his mother, he told employees in an email Tuesday morning.
\u201cRecent events have brought home for me that people are more important than work, and that I need to take some time off of the day-to-day to grieve my mother, whom I buried on Friday, to reflect, to work on myself, and to focus on building out a world-class leadership team, \u201d he wrote in the company-wide email.
Kalanick\u2019s mother was killed late last month in a boating accident that also seriously injured his father.
Uber has been beset by a string of scandals this year, many related to the hard-charging corporate culture fostered by Kalanick.
A report from former Attorney General Eric J. Holder was presented to employees on Tuesday. The product of a months-long inquiry, it outlines how the company can respond to allegations of sexism and other workplace issues. Uber\u2019s board already voted unanimously to accept the report\u2019s recommendations in a seven-hour emergency meeting on Sunday.
The report says that Kalanick\u2019s responsibilities should be reevaluated, with some given to other members of senior management. Nevertheless, Kalanick\u2019s leave of absence appears separate from the controversies.
Kalanick wrote that the executives immediately under him would assume charge of the company \u2014 although many of the company\u2019s top executives have recently left. Uber is current looking for a chief operating officer (a new position designed to complement Kalanick) , a chief financial officer, a general counsel and a chief marketing officer. Emil Michael, a close confidant of Kalanick, stepped down as chief business officer on Monday.
\u201cDuring this interim period, the leadership team, my directs, will be running the company. I will be available as needed for the most strategic decisions, but I will be empowering them to be bold and decisive in order to move the company forward swiftly, \u201d Kalanick wrote.
Some investors said Tuesday they are certain the board will keep the company on track, and that they retain confidence in Kalanick.
\u201cI do not think Travis is going anywhere and don\u2019 t think he should, \u201d said Mitchell Green, a principal at Lead Edge Capital, which invested in Uber in early 2015. \u201cHe should run the company. He\u2019s built an enormous company, and he lives and breathes this. But could he use a coach? Yes.\u201d
Kalanick did not say how long the leave would last. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to put a timeline on this — it may be shorter or longer than we might expect, \u201d he wrote. \u201cTragically losing a loved one has been difficult for me and I need to properly say my goodbyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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