One must wonder why Jeff Jones ever joined Uber in the first place. His departure comes after being the company’s ride-sharing president for less than a year, leaving most to speculate on how much the company’s string of controversies and issues in the last six month contributed to this withdrawal. It’s not like these scandals are new though, Kalanick’s leadership at Uber has cultivated a rule breaking and self-centered bro culture. As Target’s former CMO, Jeff Jones had a clean record and was even credited with modernizing the company’s marketing strategy. So, it begs the question, was Jeff Jones the president employees and customers needed at Uber to represent them and clean up the company’s image?
“I joined Uber because of its Mission, and the challenge to build global capabilities that would help the company mature and thrive long-term. It is now clear, however, that the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business. There are thousands of amazing people at the company, and I truly wish everyone well.” – Jeff Jones statement
Whether you care or not, Jones withdrawal from the company shows that leadership and culture at Uber is still incredibly unstable. It also highlights the empathy blind spots that exist in tech industry; Kalanick has shown that his drivers are disposable to him in search of bringing autonomous vehicles to the road. And while the #DeleteUber movement had its spotlight, the app is still bustling on the market. In this scenario, daily convenience trumps how companies treat their customers and workers.
Uber’s string of controversies over the last six-months
- The California DMV halted the company’s autonomous car operations in San Francisco after they failed to pay the proper registrations for the vehicles.
- During the Muslim ban protests, a #DeleteUber trend started on Twitter after some users interpreted the company’s actions as trying to profit off protestors.
- Shortly afterwards, Travis Kalanick abandoned Trump’s business advisory branch to appease users, but many questioned the CEO’s true motives of trying to step out of the spotlight.
- Kalanick and Jones both have experienced backlash in public forums that were meant to answer questions about the company, but both weren’t ready for the heavy criticism from drivers instead.
- Former Uber employee, Susan Fowler, published a blog post last month detailing a history of sexual harassment and inequality toward women in the company. An internal investigation is currently being led by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
- Bloomberg obtained a video that shows Kalanick yelling and criticizing an Uber driver who complained about the cuts to UberBLACK. Kalanick has since made a public apology.
- Uber recently banned it’s controversial “greyball” tool that allowed them to avoid regulators in cities around the world.
Kalanick has stated that he needs guidance to be a proper leader. And it could be why he sought after Jones’ assistance. But even Jones couldn’t help the mess that Uber has fallen into in the past couple months. Despite all the flaming out, Uber seems resistance proof. And that’s because people are used to corporations treating customers and employees like they are nothing. If Jones truly left because of the controversies, then we need him back, it reveals that he has an actual care for how company operations are seen and portrayed.
How is Lyft doing?
The spotlight is on Lyft now, and they seem to be taking advantage of their competitor’s downfalls. The company promise to donate $1 million over the next four years to the ACLU after Trump signed his executive order that banned immigrants from several Muslim majority countries. And in early March, it was reported that Lyft was seeking $500 million from investors. This won’t be enough though. Even if Lyft showed it users that they are the cleaner and more respectable alternative to Uber, one must wonder, would most even care? At the moment, it doesn’t seem so.
Sources: Recode, CNNmoney, Reuters, Forbes, NYtimes, Techportal
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