Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will leave President Donald Trump’s economic advisory council after facing criticism tied to the administration’s immigration executive order.
The New York Times’ Mike Issac shared a note Kalanick sent to Uber employees about his decision. “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 wrote.
Here is the full memo I received 30 minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/ctfhThqfhb
— ಠ_ಠ (@MikeIsaac) February 2, 2017
Kalanick’s move to leave the administration’s council comes after a week of criticism towards Uber’s response to the Trump administration’s executive order to ban refugees and other travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries.
Amid Saturday’s protests at airports across the nation, Uber’s New York City Twitter account disabled surge pricing for New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport at the same time the New York Taxi Workers Alliance planned a one-hour strike in solidarity with protesters. The move led to the #deleteUBER hashtag to spread on Twitter, where it called for users to delete the ride sharing app off their phones.
In a series of emails sent to Uber drivers and employees, Kalanick defended his move to work with the Trump administration and highlighted Uber’s outreach efforts against the immigration ban. For drivers affected by the executive order, Uber plans to compensate drivers for lost earnings, establish a $3 million legal fund and provide legal support for drivers trying to get back to the U.S.
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