Even prior to new leaks emerged revealing bare-knuckle growth practices at ride-hailing giant Uber, the app was dogged by controversy more than harassment, hacking and standoffs with the authorities above its workers’ legal rights.
This is what we understood about Uber, established in 2010, prior to the joint media investigation.
Riders struggle for rights
Considering that the outset Uber has been battling an ongoing battle more than the position of its workers, which it insists are freelancers, a flashpoint situation throughout the gig overall economy.
In March 2021, subsequent a ruling by Britain’s High Courtroom, Uber agreed to give its United kingdom drivers workers’ entitlements together with getaway pay and a pension. Its 70,000 motorists there really should now get paid at minimum the minimum wage.
In the US the Biden administration in May possibly 2021 blocked a rule handed down under previous president Donald Trump that would have prevented gig employees from demanding a least wage or extra time.
In December 2021 the European Union tabled strategies that could drive Uber and other platforms to treat their workers as totally-fledged workforce.
French and Dutch courts have ruled the deal in between Uber and its drivers are an work deal.
Harassment
Co-founder Travis Kalanick resigned from Uber in June 2017 amid heavy tension adhering to experiences about a cutthroat workplace society, harassment and other ills.
His exit followed a probe led by previous US lawyer typical Eric Holder, who investigated allegations of misconduct and moral lapses at the organization.
Uber fired 20 people adhering to the probe, which examined 215 claims of discrimination, harassment, unprofessional behaviour, bullying, retaliation and “actual physical protection”.
Also that month a woman raped by an Uber driver in India submitted a lawsuit accusing Uber of invading her privacy and defamation.
In May well 2018 Ingrid Avendano, who worked at Uber from 2014 to 2017, filed a lawsuit in a California prime court docket.
The lawsuit contended Uber’s perform lifestyle was “permeated with degrading, marginalising, discriminatory, and sexually harassing carry out towards gals” and that this was perpetuated and condoned by supervisors.
Avendano’s legal professionals stated she elevated worries but “was met with Uber’s entrenched disregard for the rights of its females personnel and a refusal to acquire powerful methods to prevent harassment.”
Spying on rivals
In 2017, the US investigated Uber around suspected corruption and the use of illegal program to spy on rivals or escape the command of authorities.
The identical 12 months Waymo, previously recognized as the Google self-driving automobile unit, filed a lawsuit claiming previous manager Anthony Levandowski took technological knowledge with him when he still left to launch a competing enterprise, Otto, later on obtained by Uber.
Waymo argued that a “calculated theft” of its technological know-how netted Otto a buyout of extra than $500 million and enabled Uber to revive a stalled self-driving car programme.
Uber temporarily suspended its autonomous driving screening in a number of places in the United States soon after a pedestrian was killed in a March 2018 incident in Arizona.
Data hacking
Uber was vilified when it emerged in 2017 that information on 57 million of its riders and motorists had been hacked the earlier year.
Investigations had been opened in the US and Europe and in August 2020 US prosecutors billed the firm’s former protection main Joseph Sullivan with covering up the hack.
Prosecutors explained Uber paid out the hackers $100,000 in bitcoin cryptocurrency, with Sullivan seeking them to signal non-disclosure agreements promising to keep mum about the affair.
Kalanick was suggested of the breach shortly after it was found, but it was not manufactured general public right until the new main govt Dara Khosrowshahi, appointed in mid-2017, acquired of the incident.
Out in the cold
Lately, drivers who experienced worked with Uber for decades quickly located them selves banned from the app.
Uber cited problems with paperwork, fraudulent conduct like leasing out accounts and security factors this sort of as actual physical or verbal attacks claimed by shoppers.
In July 2021, Uber extra an appendix to its phrases and situations stating it could completely restrict accessibility to the software devoid of certain motive and at any time.
