Uber CEO dumps Trump's advisory council, but Elon Musk stays

midian182

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Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has told the ride-hailing firm’s employees that he is stepping down from Donald Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum. The move is a response to mounting criticism over what some people perceived as his support of the President.

With so many tech companies unified against Donald Trump’s immigration ban, Kalanick had come under fire for his position as a government advisor. The New York Times reports that some of his staff had questioned what it would take for their boss to step down.

“Earlier today I spoke briefly with the president about the immigration executive order and its issues for our community,” Kalanick wrote in a company email. “I also let him know that I would not be able to participate on his economic council. 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.”

The situation was made worse after Uber refused to show solidarity with New York City taxi drivers who were striking at JFK airport last Saturday. The firm even announced that it was switching off surge pricing halfway through the strike, making it look as if it had been profiting from the protests.

The company’s actions led to a #DeleteUber campaign, which saw a reported 200,000 people remove the ride-hailing app from their phones. The bad publicity led to Uber's announcement that it had created a $3 million legal fund to help its drivers affected by the ban. But in many people’s eyes, it was too little, too late.

How much Kalanick’s decision helps Uber remains to be seen. Tesla boss Elon Musk, who also sits on the council, believes the best way to bring about change is to remain on the forum. In a tweet yesterday, the Space X CEO said he would express objections to the executive order at a meeting today, and hopes that his position will help bring humanity closer to a “multi-planet civilization.”

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Good ol' Travis, following the money.
"What's that, 200,000 walle-people uninstalled? All of a sudden, I'm getting this feeling that being on Trump's council is _morally_ the wrong choice..."

Funny how the moral high ground is directly correlated to his financial baseline.
 
Good ol' Travis, following the money.
"What's that, 200,000 walle-people uninstalled? All of a sudden, I'm getting this feeling that being on Trump's council is _morally_ the wrong choice..."

Funny how the moral high ground is directly correlated to his financial baseline.

Exactly!
 
LOLOLOL ... it's so good to see so many people not being easily fooled by the "Trump Magic" .......
 
I don't understand this thought process.

Instead of staying around and trying to influence the decision making in a direction they think is better, these people just quit in protest?

For better or worse, Trump is President for the next four years. Throwing tantrums won't help. We need people willing to suck it up and make convincing arguments for good policy decisions.
 
I don't really understand people's thought process, this is the first time that I hear someone standing by NYC taxi drivers...
The situation was made worse after Uber refused to show solidarity with New York City taxi drivers who were striking at JFK airport last Saturday.
They freaking suck, will rip you off if they get the chance, drive like animals, have crappy cars and overcharge for sure.

Oh noes! Uber is evil because they actually gave the service while NYC was on strike... booo hooo mother duckers, this happens all the time at every possible level but just because it was a "Trump-ing" you get on your ducking high horses. Think of the thousands of people who actually had to stay on the airport because they had no way to reach their meetings, jobs, families, vacations, and so on. The guys arriving had nothing to do with what was happening, so screw them just because. I hate popular opinion.
 
I don't understand this thought process.

Instead of staying around and trying to influence the decision making in a direction they think is better, these people just quit in protest?

For better or worse, Trump is President for the next four years. Throwing tantrums won't help. We need people willing to suck it up and make convincing arguments for good policy decisions.

I was about to write that, Musk is making the smart decision. If Kalanick wants to make it clear he's not supporting Trump make a public statement, but he's losing the chance to have voice and vote instead.
 
Multi planet civilization LOL, in case you aren't aware the overwhelming majority of Americans strongly REJECT Globalism .

The dem's were so close to completely destroying the country , had an anti Islamic communist as Pres for 8 years who did a ton of damage .


There is no question whatsoever that the country was in much much better shape 8 years ago than it is today .

Trump puts Americans first NEVER foreigners first like the anti God anti USA democrats love to do.
 
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