An Uber executive called President Donald Trump a “deplorable person” in a passionate email sent to colleagues following the 2016 presidential election.
CTO Thuan Pham also compared Trump’s victory to infamously tragic historic periods like Mao Zedong’s reign in China and the war in Darfur, according to Business Insider.
“Likewise, I could hardly sleep at night. I am still shocked and numbed from the absolutely illogical outcomes of this election … [which] certifies the dumbing down of America, the racist, divisive and hateful attitudes,” Pham reportedly wrote.
“I will not even utter the name of this deplorable person because I do not accept him as my leader. I will instead do everything I can to help defeat him and his destructive agenda over the next few years.”
Pham’s message was shared rapidly throughout the ride-sharing company after it was initially sent. The email is being passed around again more recently due to an apparent internal rift among employees.
After Trump appointed Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to be an economic advisor in December, some within the company seemed to become uneasy with the relationship. (RELATED: Former Employee Sues Uber, Says It’s Spying On Customers)
Kalanick pressed back against the in-house turmoil during the company’s weekly meeting, specifically mentioning how many CEOs of other companies are part of the economic advisor team.
“We have a party — our political party is called the Urban Mobility Party. The shorthand is UMP. We’re a coalition party; we’ll partner with anyone in the world as long they’re about making transportation in cities better, creating job opportunities, making it easier to get around, getting pollution out of the air and traffic off the streets,” Kalanick said, according to Business Insider.
“And so that’s what this is about. It’s about the leaders we have to work with around the world, not just here in the United States but everywhere. And being optimistic — asking can we make urban mobility better?” the CEO continued.
Several protestors Friday started a makeshift human wall in front of Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco because of the company’s connection to Trump, according to Business Insider. Side doors were also blocked by the protestors. Employees were reportedly advised to work from home or elsewhere, but they were not told the demonstrations were likely due to Uber and Trump’s new relationship.
Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Donald Trump go away! #aptp #j20 pic.twitter.com/Xcb855phGP
— Eunice Kwon (@eunice_kwon) January 20, 2017
“As a company we’re committed to working with government on issues that affect riders, drivers and the cities where we operate. Just as we worked with the Obama Administration, we’ll work with the Trump Administration, too,” Uber said in reference to the protest, reports Business Insider.
But some within the ride-sharing service aren’t too happy with their leader’s role in Trump’s White House.
“Uber takes great pride in their diversity, and being connected to Trump paints a bad image about us,” an anonymous employee told Business Insider.
“I am embarrassed that my CEO’s actions have caused people outside the company to view me as collaborating with this unreasonable administration,” another unnamed worker said. “I am not in a position to leave my job, but I’ll be watchful for signs of direct collaboration.”
Unlike the employees who purposefully remained unidentified, CTO Pham’s distaste for Trump is now quite public.
“He is probably one of the most loved employees, and this was a lapse of judgment. If you read up on Thuan, he is a refugee from Vietnam, so a lot of the rhetoric really hits home for him,” another source at the company told Business Insider.
A high-level staff member at Oracle, a huge computer tech conglomerate, announced his resignation in December after the co-CEO of the company agreed to join Trump’s transition team.
Pham, though, still remains as CTO of Uber despite the CEO’s new position with Trump.
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