San Francisco - Uber Technologies President Jeff Jones is
quitting after less than a year, amid multiple controversies engulfing the
ride-hailing company.
The scandals range from allegations of sexual harassment
and a toxic work culture to the combative behaviour of CEO Travis Kalanick.
After Bloomberg published a video on Febuary 28 showing Kalanick berating an
Uber driver, he said he would seek “leadership help” and was planning to hire a
chief operating officer. The plan was viewed internally as an effective
demotion for Jones, who was hired last year as president of ride-sharing and
second in command, a person familiar with the matter said.
In an email to staff on Sunday, Kalanick said Jones “made
an important impact on the company” during his six months there. “After we
announced our intention to hire a COO, Jeff came to the tough decision that he
doesn’t see his future at Uber,” Kalanick wrote, according to a copy of the
email obtained by Bloomberg.
Read also: 'I must fundamentally change and grow up'- Uber CEO
Jones decided to leave because the long string of
controversies are not what he signed on for when he left his post as chief
marketing officer at Target, according to Recode, which reported his departure
earlier Sunday. Jones’s purview at the closely held company included Uber’s
brand, which took a beating during his short tenure, largely for reasons beyond
his control.
undefined“We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company
and wish him all the best,” Uber wrote in an emailed statement.
Uber has been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons
this year. The San Francisco-based ride-hailing app was accused of undermining
a taxi strike against US President Donald Trump’s immigration ban in January.
Kalanick stepped down from Trump’s business advisory council after a #DeleteUber
movement began to pick up steam. In February, a former employee wrote a blog
post about her experiences of sexual harassment while working for the company,
and Uber is also facing a lawsuit from Alphabet’s autonomous car company Waymo
for allegedly stealing trade secrets.