Uber CEO quits Trump's business advisory group

Uber CEO Kalanick speaks to students during an interaction at IIT campus in Mumbai

Uber CEO Kalanick speaks to students during an interaction at IIT campus in Mumbai

Published Feb 3, 2017

Share

San Francisco - Uber Technologies CEO Travis Kalanick quit

President Donald Trump's business advisory group on Thursday

amid mounting pressure from activists and employees who oppose

the administration's immigration policies.

Critics included Uber drivers, many of whom are immigrants

themselves.

"Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the

president or his agenda but unfortunately it has been

misinterpreted to be exactly that," Kalanick, who had planned to

attend a meeting of the group on Friday, said in an email to

staff that was seen by Reuters.

Uber spokeswoman Chelsea Kohler later confirmed that he had

left the group.

Social media campaigns had targeted Uber, urging users to

delete accounts and opt for rival Lyft. Uber has been

emailing users who deleted their accounts to say it shares their

concerns and will compensate drivers affected by the ban.

Kalanick said he spoke briefly to Trump about the

immigration order "and its issues for our community" and told

the president he would not join the economic council.

The CEO came under increasing pressure to leave the council

after Trump issued an executive order temporarily barring people

from seven majority-Muslim nations from entering the United

States.

"There are many ways we will continue to advocate for just

change on immigration but staying on the council was going to

get in the way of that. The executive order is hurting many

people in communities all across America," he wrote in a note to

employees. "Families are being separated, people are stranded

overseas and there's a growing fear the US is no longer a

place that welcomes immigrants."

The White House said in a statement Thursday evening that

did not mention Uber that Trump "understands the importance of

an open dialogue with fellow business leaders to discuss how to

best make our nation's economy stronger."

The move could put pressure on other CEOs expected to attend

a meeting with Trump on Friday. General Motors Co said

its chief executive would attend, while Walt Disney said earlier Thursday its chief executive would not attend

because of a long-planned board meeting.

Read also:  How smart money can survive the Trump era

Others expected to take part include the CEOs of JPMorgan

Chase & Co, Blackstone Group, IBM and Wal-Mart Stores. Others that are part of the

council include Tesla CEO Elon Musk, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi and Boston Consulting Group CEO Rich

Lesser.

Musk said he would attend the meeting. "In tomorrow's

meeting, I and others will express our objections to the recent

executive order on immigration and offer suggestions for changes

to the policy," he said in a tweet on Thursday.

Kalanick's departure could signal a growing rift between

technology companies and Washington.

"There is a battle brewing between Trump and Silicon

Valley," said Neeraj Agrawal, general partner at Battery

Ventures. "They [the Trump administration] clearly don't value

the economic activity generated by tech."

Microsoft on Thursday said it proposed a

modification of Trump's travel limits.

Technology companies including Microsoft, Google owner

Alphabet, Apple and Amazon.com have opposed Trump's order, arguing that they rely on

workers from around the world.

Amazon and Expedia have filed court documents

supporting a legal challenge to the order by the Washington

state attorney general. 

REUTERS

Related Topics: