Investigation accuses Uber of brutal methods in its early days

The Uber platform said on Sunday it would not apologize for its "past", in response to an international investigation by journalists showing that the company used brutal practices and "broke the law" to s impose despite the reluctance of politicians and taxis.

"We have not and will not make excuses for past behaviors that are clearly not aligned with our current values," Jill Hazelbaker, Uber's vice president of public affairs, said in a statement. on line.

An international investigation

The

, a British daily, obtained and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) some 124,000 documents, dated from 2013 to 2017, including emails and messages from Uber executives at the time. as well as presentations, notes and invoices.

On Sunday, several daily newspapers (the

in the United States, Le

in France, and others) published their first articles from these “Uber Files”.

They highlight certain methods employed during these years of rapid expansion but also of confrontation for Uber, from Paris to Johannesburg.

"The company has broken the law, deceived police and regulators, exploited violence against drivers and secretly lobbied governments around the world," the

says in its introduction.

“Violence guarantees success”

The articles mention in particular messages from Travis Kalanick, then boss of the San Francisco-based company, when executives worried about the risks for the drivers whom Uber encouraged to participate in a demonstration in Paris.

"I think it's worth it," the co-founder told them.

“Violence guarantees success”.

“Mr. Kalanick has never suggested that Uber exploits violence at the expense of driver safety,” reacted Devon Spurgeon, spokesperson for the controversial former leader, in a statement published by the ICIJ, where he denies all charges.

Accused of having encouraged questionable and brutal managerial practices, against a background of sexism and harassment at work, Travis Kalanick had to give up his role as general manager of the group in June 2017. Announcing his resignation from the board of directors, at the end of 2019, he said he was “proud of everything Uber has accomplished”.

In its Sunday statement, Uber recalls that the media has already covered the company's mistakes before 2017 extensively, from press to books and even a television series.

“Uber is now one of the most important work platforms in the world and part of the daily lives of more than 100 million people.

We have moved from an era of confrontation to an era of collaboration,” elaborates Jill Hazelbaker.

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