Business

Dismissed Uber CEO: I’ll Be Back

REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Eric Lieberman Managing Editor
Font Size:

Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is confident he will make a triumphant return to the helm of the company he co-founded, according to a Recode report published Sunday night.

The dismissed executive reportedly said that he is “Steve Jobs-ing it” in conversations with people at the ride-sharing startup turned tech conglomerate. The colloquialism was presumably a reference to the now-deceased Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who was fired at one point, but eventually brought back on. Jobs helped turn his business into one of the world’s most profitable and powerful tech companies.

Recode reports that several people in consideration for the CEO position are highly wary of working for the company because of Kalanick’s potential involvement.

“What’s the biggest problem at Uber?” the tech publication’s influential co-founder Kara Swisher reportedly asked a few of the candidates.

“Oh, Travis,” said one.

“Man, he’s brilliant and so important, but who wants to deal with Travis?” another said, according to Recode, which cites a third contender who also agreed. (RELATED: Uber CEO’s Letter To Employees: ‘To Work On Uber 2.0, I Also Need To Work On Travis 2.0’)

While the story of Kalanick’s ascension and subsequent demise is convoluted, his ouster was due to a number of purported missteps and apparent scandals. From allegations of sexual harassment, systemic sexism, rampant lewd behavior, and cutthroat work culture, Uber was constantly under pressure from many directions.

Like the external candidates, Uber’s board is not supportive of Kalanick, as made evident by his termination. Nevertheless, Kalanick seems to be inserting himself into the mix, a course of action that at least partially shows he is not ready to give up.

Uber did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment by the time of publication.

Follow Eric on Twitter

Send tips to eric@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.