Travis Kalanick walked in to the New York Stock Exchange for Uber's IPO with his father and the crowd erupted in 'enormous applause'

Reuters/Andrew Kelly

Former Uber CEO and cofounder Travis Kalanick with his father, Donald Kalanick, at the New York Stock Exchange on May 10, 2019.

• Former Uber CEO and cofounder Travis Kalanick appeared at the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, May 10 for the ride hailing company's IPO.
• Kalanick's arrival was met with "enormous applause," according to the New York Time's Mike Isaac.
• Beside Kalanick was his father, Donald Kalanick, who survived a life-threatening boating accident in 2017 that killed his wife Bonnie.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Uber cofounder and former CEO Travis Kalanick was in attendance at the New York Stock Exchange on Friday morning, and he brought his father.

The pair arrived to "enormous applause," according to New York Times reporter Mike Isaac.

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That's not just because of Kalanick's role in Uber's rise, but because of his father Donald Kalanick's near-fatal boating accident in 2017.

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Uber cofounder Travis Kalanick with his father

Kalanick cofounded Uber and was the CEO until 2017, when he stepped down amid a string of scandals at the company. The move coincided with a personal tragedy in Kalanick's family.

In May 2017, Donald and his wife Bonnie Kalanick were on their boat in Pine Flat Lake in Fresno County, California, when the boat reportedly hit a rock and sank in mid-afternoon.

Donald suffered moderate injuries and was flown to a local medical center, and Bonnie suffered fatal injuries.

Following the tragic accident, Travis Kalanick wrote a tribute to his late mother.

"I miss her terribly and feel the hole that she left in my heart, I realize much more fully the gift she gave me, and commit to live it and express it in her honor," Kalanick wrote in June 2017.

Though some of the applause at their arrival on Friday was aimed at Kalanick's work at Uber, the appearance of Donald Kalanick alongside his son was assuredly an emotional moment.