Authorities Worldwide,” New York Times, March 3, 2017, nytimes/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-program-evade-authorities.html.
247 “Uber has for years used”: Isaac, “How Uber Deceives the Authorities Worldwide.”
247 Uber’s security chief, prohibited employees: Daisuke Wakabayashi, “Uber Seeks to Prevent Use of Greyball to Thwart Regulators,” New York Times, March 8, 2017, nytimes/2017/03/08/business/uber-regulators-police-greyball.html.
247 Department of Justice opened a probe: Mike Isaac, “Uber Faces Federal Inquiry Over Use of Greyball Tool to Evade Authorities,” New York Times, May 4, 2017, nytimes/2017/05/04/technology/uber-federal-inquiry-software-greyball.html.
247 the inquiry widened to Philadelphia: Mike Isaac, “Justice Department Expands Its Inquiry into Uber’s Greyball Tool,” New York Times, May 5, 2017, nytimes/2017/05/05/technology/uber-greyball-investigation-expands.html.
248 He called it The Rideshare Guy: Harry Campbell, “About the Rideshare Guy: Harry Campbell,” The Rideshare Guy (blog), therideshareguy/about-the-rideshare-guy/.
248 directly due to the string of controversies: Kara Swisher and Johana Bhuiyan, “Uber President Jeff Jones Is Quitting, Citing Differences Over ‘Beliefs and Approach to Leadership,’ ” Recode, March 19, 2017, recode/2017/3/19/14976110/uber-president-jeff-jones-quits.
250 “there’s just a bunch of models”: Emily Peck, “Travis Kalanick’s Ex Reveals New Details About Uber’s Sexist Culture,” Huffington Post, March 29, 2017, huffingtonpost/entry/travis-kalanick-gabi-holzwarth-uber_us_58da7341e4b018c4606b8ec9.
253 “I am so sorry for being cold”: Amir Efrati, “Uber Group’s Visit to Seoul Escort Bar Sparked HR Complaint,” The Information, March 24, 2017, theinformation/articles/uber-groups-visit-to-seoul-escort-bar-sparked-hr-complaint.
253 reporter’s cell phone number: Efrati, “Uber Group’s Visit to Seoul Escort Bar.”
Chapter 26: FATAL ERRORS
254 who called the maneuver illegal: Mike Isaac, “Uber Expands Self-Driving Car Service to San Francisco. D.M.V. Says It’s Illegal.,” New York Times, December 14, 2016, nytimes/2016/12/14/technology/uber-self-driving-car-san-francisco.html.
254 Uber issued a statement: Isaac, “Uber Expands Self-Driving Car Service to San Francisco.”
255 Uber’s narrative was false: Mike Isaac and Daisuke Wakabayashi, “A Lawsuit Against Uber Highlights the Rush to Conquer Driverless Cars,” New York Times, February 24, 2017, nytimes/2017/02/24/technology/anthony-levandowski-waymo-uber-google-lawsuit.html.
255 Levandowski was unceremoniously terminated: Mike Isaac and Daisuke Wakabayashi, “Uber Fires Former Google Engineer at Heart of Self-Driving Dispute,” New York Times, May 30, 2017, nytimes/2017/05/30/technology/uber-anthony-levandowski.html.
256 “possible theft of trade secrets”: Aarian Marshall, “Google’s Fight Against Uber Takes a Turn for the Criminal,” Wired, May 12, 2017, wired/2017/05/googles-fight-uber-takes-turn-criminal/.
256 expressed contrition in a press interview: Mike Isaac, “Uber Releases Diversity Report and Repudiates Its ‘Hard-Charging Attitude,’ ” New York Times, March 28, 2017, nytimes/2017/03/28/technology/uber-scandal-diversity-report.html.
257 existence of Uber’s program “Hell”: Efrati, “Uber’s Top Secret ‘Hell’ Program.”
257 The team kept tabs: Kate Conger, “Uber’s Massive Scraping Program Collected Data About Competitors Around the World,” Gizmodo, December 11, 2017, gizmodo/ubers-massive-scraping-program-collected-data-about-com-1820887947.
257 recorded private conversations: Paayal Zaveri, “Unsealed Letter in Uber-Waymo Case Details How Uber Employees Allegedly Stole Trade Secrets,” CNBC, December 15, 2017, cnbc/2017/12/15/jacobs-letter-in-uber-waymo-case-says-uber-staff-stole-trade-secrets.html.
261 personal, private medical files: Kara Swisher and Johana Bhuiyan, “A Top Uber Executive, Who Obtained the Medical Records of a Customer Who Was a Rape Victim, Has Been Fired,” Recode, June 7, 2017, recode/2017/6/7/15754316/uber-executive-india-assault-rape-medical-records.
262 it was over for Eric Alexander: Mike Isaac, “Uber Fires Executive Over Handling of Rape Investigation in India,” New York Times, June 7, 2017, nytimes/2017/06/07/technology/uber-fires-executive.html.
262 Kalanick accepted her resignation: Mike Isaac, “Executive Who Steered Uber Through Scandals Joins Exodus,” New York Times, April 11, 2017, nytimes/2017/04/11/technology/ubers-head-of-policy-and-communications-joins-executive-exodus.html.
263 “The last note I got from her”: Kalanick, “Dad is getting much better in last 48 hours.”
265 “Over the last seven years”: Unpublished letter, obtained by author. The original letter is over 4,000 words long.
Chapter 27: THE HOLDER REPORT
269 already fired twenty people: Mike Isaac, “Uber Fires 20 Amid Investigation into Workplace Culture,” New York Times, June 6, 2017, nytimes/2017/06/06/technology/uber-fired.html.
270 “He definitely has my confidence”: Anita Balakrishnan, “Uber Board Member Arianna Huffington Says She’s Been Emailing Ex-Engineer About Harassment Claims,” CNBC, March 3, 2017, cnbc/2017/03/03/arianna-huffington-travis-kalanick-confidence-emailing-susan-fowler.html.
273 “Uber has a long way to go”: Emil Michael, “Email from Departing Uber Executive,” New York Times, June 12, 2017, nytimes/interactive/2017/06/12/technology/document-Email-From-Departing-Uber-Executive.html.
274 “For the last eight years”: Entrepreneur Staff, “Read Travis Kalanick’s Full Letter to Staff: I Need to Work on Travis 2.0,” Entrepreneur, June 13, 2017, entrepreneur/article/295780.
278 Bonderman was a shuffling giant: Henny Sender, “Breakfast with the FT: David Bonderman,” Financial Times, June 20, 2008, ft/content/569a70ae-3e64-11dd-b16d-0000779fd2ac.
278 239th richest man in the world: “#667 David Bonderman,” Forbes, forbes/profile/david-bonderman/#27d33dd32fce.
280 the entire contents of the presentation: JP Mangalindan, “LEAKED AUDIO: Uber’s All-Hands Meeting Had Some Uncomfortable Moments,” Yahoo! Finance, June 13, 2017, finance.yahoo/news/inside-ubers-hands-meeting-travis-194232221.html.
280 “Today at Uber’s all-hands meeting”: Comment received in email to author, June 13, 2017.
Chapter 28: THE SYNDICATE
284 “we have hit a dead end”: Mitch and Freada Kapor, “An Open Letter to The Uber Board and Investors,” Medium, February 23, 2017, medium/kapor-the-bridge/an-open-letter-to-the-uber-board-and-investors-2dc0c48c3a7.
285 Lake was sexually harassed: Dan Primack, “How Lightspeed Responded to Caldbeck’s Alleged Behavior,” Axios, June 27, 2017, axios/how-lightspeed-responded-to-caldbecks-alleged-behavior-1513303291-797b3d44-6b7d-4cd1-89ef-7e35782a32e6.html.
287 through an internal repurchase program: Katie Benner, “How Uber’s Chief Is Gaining Even More Clout in the Company,” New York Times, June 12, 2017 nytimes/2017/06/12/technology/uber-chief-travis-kalanick-stock-buyback.html.
288 the two rarely spoke afterwards: Alex Konrad, “How Super Angel Chris Sacca Made Billions, Burned Bridges and Crafted the Best Seed Portfolio Ever,” Forbes, April 13, 2015, forbes/sites/alexkonrad/2015/03/25/how-venture-cowboy-chris-sacca-made-billions/#17b4e9866597.
Chapter 29: REVENGE OF THE VENTURE CAPITALISTS
297 eighteen months in the making: Lori Rackl, “Get A First Look at the ‘New’ Ritz-Carlton Chicago, $100 Million Later,” Chicago Tribune, July 19, 2017, chicagotribune/lifestyles/travel/ct-ritz-carlton-chicago-renovation-travel-0730-20170718-story.html.
303 she claimed on live television: Sara Ashley O’Brien, “Arianna Huffington: Sexual Harassment Isn’t a ‘Systemic Problem,’ At Uber,” CNN Business, March 23, 2017, money.cnn/2017/03/20/technology/arianna-huffington-uber-quest-means-business/index.html.
306 Seeing the tick-tock of events: Mike Isaac, “Inside Travis Kalanick’s Resignation as Uber’s C.E.O.,” New York Times, June 21, 2017, nytimes/2017/06/21/technology/uber-travis-kalanick-final-hours.html.
Chapter 30: DOWN BUT NOT OUT
309 “Dear Board of Directors”: Letter obtained by author.
313 story was about to be published: Eric Newcomer, “Uber’s New CEO Short List Is Said to Include HPE’s Meg Whitman,” Bloomberg, July 25, 2017, bloomberg/news/articles/2017-07-25/uber-s-new-ceo-short-list-is-said-to-include-hpe-s-meg-whitman.
314 a top candidate for Uber CEO: Eric Newcomer, “GE’s Jeffrey Immelt Is on Uber’s CEO Shortlist,” Bloomberg, July 27, 2017, bloomberg/news/articles/2017-07-27/ge-s-jeffrey-immelt-is-said-to-be-on-uber-ceo-shortlist.
314 Kalanick . . . pushing Immelt: Mike Isaac, “Uber’s Search for New C.E.O. Hampered by Deep Split on Board,” New York Times, July 30, 2017, nytimes/2017/07/30/technology/uber-search-for-new-ceo-kalanick-huffington-whitman.html.
314 three brief tweets to the world: Mike Isaac, “Uber’s Next C.E.O.? Meg Whitman Says It Won’t Be Her,” New York Times, July 27, 2017, nytimes/2017/07/27/technology/ubers-next-ceo-meg-whitman-says-it-wont-be-her.html.
314 “Normally I do not comment”: Meg Whitman (MegWhitman), “(1/3) Normally I do not comment on rumors, but the speculation about my future and Uber has become a distraction.,” Twitter, July 27, 2017, 10:04 p.m., megwhitman/status/890754773456220161.
314 “So let me make this as clear”: Meg Whitman (MegWhitman), “(2/3) So let me make this as clear as I can. I am fully committed to HPE and plan to remain the company’s CEO.,” Twitter, July 27, 2017, 10:04 p.m., MegWhitman/status/890754854632787969.
314 “Uber’s CEO will not be Meg Whitman”: Meg Whitman (MegWhitman), “(3/3) We have a lot of work still to do at HPE and I am not going anywhere. Uber’s CEO will not be Meg Whitman.” Twitter, July 27, 2017, 10:05 p.m., megwhitman/status/890754932990763008.
315 the firm filed a lawsuit: Mike Isaac, “Uber Investor Sues Travis Kalanick for Fraud,” New York Times, August 10, 2017, nytimes/2017/08/10/technology/travis-kalanick-uber-lawsuit-benchmark-capital.html.
315 “We do not feel it was either prudent”: Mike Isaac, “Kalanick Loyalists Move to Force Benchmark Off Uber’s Board,” New York Times, August 11, 2017, nytimes/2017/08/11/technology/uber-benchmark-pishevar.html.
317 He bankrolled his college years: Cyrus Farivar, “How Sprint’s New Boss Lost $70 Billion of His Own Cash (and Still Stayed Rich),” Ars Technica, October 16, 2012, arstechnica/information-technology/2012/10/how-sprints-new-boss-lost-70-billion-of-his-own-cash-and-still-stayed-rich/.
317 He returned to Japan: Andrew Ross Sorkin, “A Key Figure in the Future of Yahoo,” Dealbook, New York Times, December 13, 2010, dealbook.nytimes/2010/12/13/a-key-figure-in-the-future-of-yahoo/.
317 “crazy guy who bet on the future”: Walter Sim, “SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son, the ‘Crazy Guy Who Bet on the Future,’ ” Straits Times, December 12, 2016, straitstimes/asia/east-asia/softbanks-masayoshi-son-the-crazy-guy-who-bet-on-the-future.
317 He designed the investment vehicle for speed: Dana Olsen, “Vision Fund 101: Inside SoftBank’s $98B Vehicle,” PitchBook, August 2, 2017, pitchbook/news/articles/vision-fund-101-inside-softbanks-93b-vehicle.
Chapter 31: THE GRAND BARGAIN
319 The storied corporation had lost: Steve Blank, “Why GE’s Jeff Immelt Lost His Job: Disruption and Activist Investors,” Harvard Business Review, October 30, 2017, hbr/2017/10/why-ges-jeff-immelt-lost-his-job-disruption-and-activist-investors.
320 “There’s this chip you have”: Sheelah Kolhatkar, “At Uber, A New C.E.O. Shifts Gears,” The New Yorker, April 9, 2018, newyorker/magazine/2018/04/09/at-uber-a-new-ceo-shifts-gears.
320 After Allen & Company: newyorker/magazine/2018/04/09/at-uber-a-new-ceo-shifts-gears.
324 “I have decided not to pursue”: Jeff Immelt (JeffImmelt), “I have decided not to pursue a leadership position at Uber. I have immense respect for the company & founders – Travis, Garrett and Ryan.” Twitter, August 27, 2017, 11:43 a.m., JeffImmelt/status/901832519913537540.
324 People close to Immelt: Kara Swisher, “Former GE CEO Jeff Immelt Says He Is No Longer Vying to Be Uber CEO,” Recode, August 27, 2017, recode/2017/8/27/16211254/former-ge-ceo-jeff-immelt-out-uber-ceo.
325 Shortly after five o’clock: Mike Isaac, “Uber Chooses Expedia’s Chief as C.E.O., Ending Contentious Search,” New York Times, August 27, 2017, nytimes/2017/08/27/technology/uber-ceo-search.html.
326 Son reached a deal: Mike Isaac, “Uber Sells Stake to SoftBank, Valuing Ride-Hailing Giant at $48 Billion,” New York Times, December 28, 2017, nytimes/2017/12/28/technology/uber-softbank-stake.html.
327 It was a pure preemptive strike: Katie Benner and Mike Isaac, “In Power Move at Uber, Travis Kalanick Appoints 2 to Board,” New York Times, September 29, 2017, nytimes/2017/09/29/technology/uber-travis-kalanick-board.html.
327 “one share, one vote”: Katie Benner and Mike Isaac, “Uber’s Board Approves Changes to Reshape Company’s Power Balance,” New York Times, October 3, 2017, nytimes/2017/10/03/technology/ubers-board-approves-changes-to-reshape-power-balance.html.