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You imply that being ousted from the company he created is not a direct consequence of his actions. You imply that unethical behavior was helpful to Uber defea

by soneca 9y ago

You imply that being ousted from the company he created is not a direct consequence of his actions. You imply that unethical behavior was helpful to Uber defeat awful local transport lobbies in some cities and improve transportation for the people. I strongly disagree with both assumptions. I believe he was ousted for legitimate reasons that he is 100% individually responsible for and I believe that unethical behavior at Uber did nothing to help them win the battle against local lobbies (only to win against competitors).

TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago
I don't see that the GP implied his ousting wasn't a direct consequence of his actions. Anyway, it's not hard to imagine that Travis, despite being aware of how his actions resulted in consequences, may feel hurt, and maybe even remorseful. It would be a mistake to believe that people who act poorly all lack empathy.
- soneca 9y ago
  Yeah, actually you are right. GP did not implied it and my disagreement on this point is wrongly stated. It would be more properly stated that I do not personally feel bad for Travis being ousted (because is, IMO, a deserved consequence of his acts). And in this case it is not actually a disagreement, just a difference of our reactions.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago
    Ok, cool, thank you. Yeah, I don't feel bad for the guy either. I hope he feels discomfort for the wrongs his enacted. That would, at least, make him human.
- omosokeye 9y ago
  Great point, Bad things happened under his leadership, which lead to his exit. Uber was his baby and his actions has created doubt about Uber in the hearts of many. He probably feels really bad about his actions. He probably feels like selling his share might help. Lets cut the guy some slack he's only human.
mylons 9y ago
he's responsible for his actions, but the way you word that makes it sound like he's the only person responsible for the morally reprehensible things Uber has done, which is not true.
- AlexandrB 9y ago
  He's was the CEO!!! He oversaw all the morally reprehensible things Uber did and did little to stop it. If he is not responsible, then who is? I'm sorry but CEOs can't have it both ways. If you want to be paid at the (insane) current levels you have to take responsibility for the outcomes of your actions. The only other entity that might have some responsibility is the board for not getting rid of Kalanick sooner.
  - ShabbosGoy 9y ago
    > If he is not responsible, then who is? Befehl ist Befehl. "I was only following orders."
    - TheCoelacanth 9y ago
      Are you implying that Hitler wasn't responsible for the Holocaust? The person following the orders certainly shares some of the responsibility, but the person giving the orders bears even more of the responsibility.
- Ar-Curunir 9y ago
  From what I've heard, Kalanick was a much more hands-on CEO than is typical. He certainly holds a large amount of responsibility for Uber's actions.
- stilist 9y ago
  Uber has fired enough leadership that clearly he wasn’t the only one. But he was CEO, and he could have removed bad actors. It’s true that each of them is responsible for their own choices, but if he’s a bad actor and allowed or encouraged other bad actors, I think it’s fair for him to share some of their burden.
downandout 9y ago
In today’s politically correct environment, the masses are wont to instantly discredit and discard the entire career of anyone whose personal failings happen to become public. Travis spent a tiny fraction of his time being a jerk. The rest of it was spent creating one of the most impactful companies that the world has ever seen. Give credit where credit is due. ”Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done” - Bryan Stevenson Edit: I should have used the word valuable instead of impactful. I’m leaving it in because the Uber critics responding below have all jumped on my use of the term, and those replies would no longer make sense if I change it. That said, I do believe Uber has been a very impactful company and will continue to be.
- davidcbc 9y ago
  Personal failings are one thing, but that hasn't been the downfall of Travis Kalanick. His professional failings have been his downfall.
  - downandout 9y ago
    I disagree. The video of him talking down to a driver seemed to be the catalyst. Once that came out, everyone that disliked Travis, stood to benefit from his dismissal, or just hated Uber, piled on with story after story. As an executive, he was aggressive and didn’t play nice with competitors or politicians seeking to limit his business and/or put their hands in its pockets. Show me someone that has built a $40+ billion business out of thin air that isn’t constantly pushing the limits like he did. Airbnb was born out of Craigslist spam. Facebook only grew because of a contact spammer that is still in use to this day. In Facebook’s early days, Hotmail temporarily blocked Facebook invite spam and their growth instantly dropped by 90%. Uber used Greyball to avoid giving rides to those in violation of its terms of service, some of whom were undercover law enforcement personnel looking to disrupt its business. These big businesses don’t come to fruition by accident, and the one thing they seem to have in common is that most of them broke the rules to get where they are. It may not be pleasant or politically correct, but it’s a fact of life.
    - 9y ago

by soneca 9y ago

TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago

I don't see that the GP implied his ousting wasn't a direct consequence of his actions. Anyway, it's not hard to imagine that Travis, despite being aware of how his actions resulted in consequences, may feel hurt, and maybe even remorseful. It would be a mistake to believe that people who act poorly all lack empathy.

soneca 9y ago
Yeah, actually you are right. GP did not implied it and my disagreement on this point is wrongly stated. It would be more properly stated that I do not personally feel bad for Travis being ousted (because is, IMO, a deserved consequence of his acts). And in this case it is not actually a disagreement, just a difference of our reactions.
- TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago
  Ok, cool, thank you. Yeah, I don't feel bad for the guy either. I hope he feels discomfort for the wrongs his enacted. That would, at least, make him human.
omosokeye 9y ago
Great point, Bad things happened under his leadership, which lead to his exit. Uber was his baby and his actions has created doubt about Uber in the hearts of many. He probably feels really bad about his actions. He probably feels like selling his share might help. Lets cut the guy some slack he's only human.

mylons 9y ago

he's responsible for his actions, but the way you word that makes it sound like he's the only person responsible for the morally reprehensible things Uber has done, which is not true.

AlexandrB 9y ago
He's was the CEO!!! He oversaw all the morally reprehensible things Uber did and did little to stop it. If he is not responsible, then who is? I'm sorry but CEOs can't have it both ways. If you want to be paid at the (insane) current levels you have to take responsibility for the outcomes of your actions. The only other entity that might have some responsibility is the board for not getting rid of Kalanick sooner.
- ShabbosGoy 9y ago
  > If he is not responsible, then who is? Befehl ist Befehl. "I was only following orders."
  - TheCoelacanth 9y ago
    Are you implying that Hitler wasn't responsible for the Holocaust? The person following the orders certainly shares some of the responsibility, but the person giving the orders bears even more of the responsibility.
Ar-Curunir 9y ago
From what I've heard, Kalanick was a much more hands-on CEO than is typical. He certainly holds a large amount of responsibility for Uber's actions.
stilist 9y ago
Uber has fired enough leadership that clearly he wasn’t the only one. But he was CEO, and he could have removed bad actors. It’s true that each of them is responsible for their own choices, but if he’s a bad actor and allowed or encouraged other bad actors, I think it’s fair for him to share some of their burden.

downandout 9y ago

In today’s politically correct environment, the masses are wont to instantly discredit and discard the entire career of anyone whose personal failings happen to become public. Travis spent a tiny fraction of his time being a jerk. The rest of it was spent creating one of the most impactful companies that the world has ever seen. Give credit where credit is due. ”Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done” - Bryan Stevenson Edit: I should have used the word valuable instead of impactful. I’m leaving it in because the Uber critics responding below have all jumped on my use of the term, and those replies would no longer make sense if I change it. That said, I do believe Uber has been a very impactful company and will continue to be.

davidcbc 9y ago
Personal failings are one thing, but that hasn't been the downfall of Travis Kalanick. His professional failings have been his downfall.
- downandout 9y ago
  I disagree. The video of him talking down to a driver seemed to be the catalyst. Once that came out, everyone that disliked Travis, stood to benefit from his dismissal, or just hated Uber, piled on with story after story. As an executive, he was aggressive and didn’t play nice with competitors or politicians seeking to limit his business and/or put their hands in its pockets. Show me someone that has built a $40+ billion business out of thin air that isn’t constantly pushing the limits like he did. Airbnb was born out of Craigslist spam. Facebook only grew because of a contact spammer that is still in use to this day. In Facebook’s early days, Hotmail temporarily blocked Facebook invite spam and their growth instantly dropped by 90%. Uber used Greyball to avoid giving rides to those in violation of its terms of service, some of whom were undercover law enforcement personnel looking to disrupt its business. These big businesses don’t come to fruition by accident, and the one thing they seem to have in common is that most of them broke the rules to get where they are. It may not be pleasant or politically correct, but it’s a fact of life.
  - 9y ago