Uber CEO Travis Kalanick leaves Trump's economic council after #DeleteUber backlash
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will leave President Trump's economic advisory council, Recode reports. Kalanick's decision to remain a part of Trump's economic group after Trump signed an executive order banning individuals from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. prompted backlash against Kalanick's ride-hailing app, with many rallying earlier this week to #DeleteUber and flocking to competitor app Lyft instead.
In a letter sent to employees Thursday and obtained by The New York Times, Kalanick wrote that he had informed Trump earlier Thursday that he could not join the economic council. "Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president or his agenda," Kalanick wrote, "but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that."
Kalanick had promised earlier in the week to discuss with Trump the immigration order while stating his intent to remain a part of Trump's economic advisory group, which he joined in December. In his note Thursday, Kalanick said he spoke with Trump about the order before withdrawing from the council — read his full letter to employees at Recode.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Political cartoons for January 25Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a hot economy, A.I. wisdom, and more
-
Le Pen back in the dock: the trial that’s shaking FranceIn the Spotlight Appealing her four-year conviction for embezzlement, the Rassemblement National leader faces an uncertain political future, whatever the result
-
The doctors’ strikesThe Explainer Resident doctors working for NHS England are currently voting on whether to go out on strike again this year
-
TikTok secures deal to remain in USSpeed Read ByteDance will form a US version of the popular video-sharing platform
-
Unemployment rate ticks up amid fall job lossesSpeed Read Data released by the Commerce Department indicates ‘one of the weakest American labor markets in years’
-
US mints final penny after 232-year runSpeed Read Production of the one-cent coin has ended
-
Warner Bros. explores sale amid Paramount bidsSpeed Read The media giant, home to HBO and DC Studios, has received interest from multiple buying parties
-
Gold tops $4K per ounce, signaling financial uneaseSpeed Read Investors are worried about President Donald Trump’s trade war
-
Electronic Arts to go private in record $55B dealspeed read The video game giant is behind ‘The Sims’ and ‘Madden NFL’
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fineSpeed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in IntelSpeed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
