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The Uber Files Leak | Everything You Need to Know
Thousands of leaked files regarding the the ride-hailing app suggest a story of nepotism in its dealings with politicians and questionable practices in staying on the right side of the law.
The Uber Files are a trove of more than 124,000 records, including 83,000 emails and 1,000 other files involving conversations, spanning 2013 to 2017 that have recently emerged, raising several points of contention with regards to the app’s rise in Europe.
They were leaked to the Guardian, and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, as well as a number of media organisations.
The leak reveals how Uber and its then chief executive, Travis Kalanick, went about embarking on a lobbying and public relations effort to disrupt Europe’s taxi industry.
What were the biggest revelations from the leak?
The leaked documents have suggested that Uber forged close ties with French President Emmanuel Macron when he was serving as the country’s economy minister in 2014.
Uber lobbied the now-President in the hope of writing future laws regulating taxi app services. In an email to Mr Macron, Kalanick is alleged to have said: “Uber will provide an outline for a regulatory framework for ridesharing. We will connect our respective teams to start working on a feasible proposal that could become the formal framework in France.”
This point in particular has caused a huge amount of contention as it’s largely unthinkable for any company to have the onus on effectively writing a country’s laws.
On another occasion, Uber is reported to have written to Mr Macron to say it was “extremely grateful” for his support. The company said: “The openness and welcome we receive is unusual in government-industry relations.”
It has also emerged that former EU digital commissioner Neelie Kroes was closely involved with the company, with the BBC alleging she secretly began working for Uber before leaving her influential post within the political bloc. Ms Kroes denies the allegations.
Finally, the leak details how Uber developed an internal “kill switch” in case of police raids on its branches. Company executives could order the switch to be pulled, severing the branch from the main IT network and preventing police from gaining access to company files.
What now?
Uber’s move into Europe was hugely contentious at the time – there were protests, sometimes violent, from French taxi drivers, all while Macron maintained a first-name-basis relationship with Kalanick.
A spokesperson for Mr Macron said in an email to the BBC: “His functions naturally led him to meet and interact with many companies engaged in the sharp shift which came out during those years in the service sector, which had to be facilitated by unlocking administrative and regulatory hurdles.”
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While the dust is still settling on the leak, Uber has moved quickly to try and separate itself from Kalanick – who left Uber in 2017 after a string of scandals, culminating in an internal investigation led by the former US attorney general Eric Holder which made 47 recommendations to the company’s board.
An Uber spokesman said: “We’ve moved from an era of confrontation to one of collaboration. We have not and will not make excuses for past behaviour that is clearly not in line with our present values.”
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