Today, Uber founder Travis Kalanick announced his resignation from Donald Trump’s Strategic & Policy Forum. He was one of several high-profile names chosen for the 16-member group, including Indra Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo and Elon Musk.
Both Musk and Kalanick have received criticism for their participation in the forum. However, but backlash against Uber recently reached a fever pitch this weekend after the signing of an executive order impacting immigrants and refugees.
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Uber suspended surge pricing to and from New York’s JFK’s airport on Saturday — a move that was met with mixed results since it coincided with a protest that swarmed the airport and a strike from the NY Taxi Workers Alliance. Some felt that the surge suspension was opportunistic and disloyal to the taxi drivers.
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The company later apologized for the misunderstanding, but the public relations damage had been done. In stark contrast, rival Lyft responded to the ban by donating $1 million the the American Civil Liberties Union over the next four years. The hashtag #DeleteUber quickly spread on social media and by Lyft downloads surpassed Uber for possibly the first time ever on Sunday.
This morning, Kalanick spoke to the President about his need to step down from the council, according to…