SCOBLE: Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Has To Go

Advertisement

Robert Scoble

Flickr/scobleizer

Robert Scoble

Robert Scoble has announced that he believes Travis Kalanick should be removed as CEO of Uber.

Advertisement

He writes in a Facebook post that he finds Uber executive Emil Michael's comment about digging up dirt on journalists unacceptable, and believes that the only way to "reboot the culture" of the company is for Travis to leave.

He says that if Travis doesn't resign the investors should insist that he go.

Complimentary Tech Event
Transform talent with learning that works
Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

"Uber can be saved. Travis can not," he says. "Travis, if I were you I would resign and help your company heal."

He believes that once Travis is gone Uber should work to repair it's relationship with Sarah Lacy, and communicate to staff that being anti-journalist or anti-woman will not be tolerated.

Advertisement

This is something Scoble himself learned when he first started at Microsoft.

"An exec pulled me aside and told me how I could get fired. Pissing off journalists and analysts were very high on the list. This is how culture gets translated," he says.

He also implies that the fiasco has broader business implications and could affect Uber's bottom line.

"This wound is a lot deeper than I thought and IS changing consumer behavior," he warns, "I am in Pittsburgh speaking to business people (not tech people) and you should hear what they are saying about Uber. This company has deeply wounded itself."

He personally has not deleted the app or his Uber account, however he says that the fiasco "has changed which app I use first."

Advertisement

Read the full post here >