Amidst a tough time for Uber, CEO Travis Kalanick’s parents were in a tragic boating accident last month that took the life of his mother. Now to grieve and clear his head before enacting changes at Uber, Travis has told his team he’ll be taking a leave of absence of unspecified length. You can read the CEO’s full letter to Uber below.
Kalanick notes that “During 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. It’s hard to put a timeline on this – it may be shorter or longer than we might expect.”
When Kalanick returns he will take a diminished role, according to the slate of recommendations by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in his report on the investigation into Uber’s ethics and leadership troubles, including sexual harassment and discrimination. “Some of the responsibilities that Mr. Kalanick has historically possessed should be shared or given outright to other members of senior management” the report outlines.
Uber’s board of directors has voted to adopt all the report’s recommendations, which are being shared with employees and the public today.
Other recommendations that impact Kalanick include:
- Using performance review to hold leaders accountable with metrics tied to diversity, responsiveness to employee…