Ex-Uber CEO Travis Kalanick met with the driver he yelled at to say sorry
- Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick met up with Fawzi Kamel, an Uber driver he yelled at during a ride last year.
- Bloomberg published a shocking video last February which showed the driver getting into an argument with Kalanick about Uber's lowered fares, with Kalanick eventually losing his temper.
- Kalanick apologised publicly and, according to Recode, privately in a meeting with Kamel.
- Kalanick apparently thought about buying Kamel's cars as compensation, though it isn't clear that he actually did.
Disgraced former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick met up with a driver he shouted at after the Super Bowl last year to apologise, and even thought about buying the driver's cars as compensation.
According to Recode, Kalanick's private apology was something of a planned operation which involved multiple Uber executives debating whether he should say sorry.
At the time, Kalanick was still Uber's chief executive. Video had just emerged which showed him taking an Uber after the Super Bowl in February last year. The ride had started normally enough but once the driver, Fawzi Kamel, realised who was in the back seat, he complained that Uber had dropped its fares and made life tougher for drivers. The discussion became heated, and Kalanick ended up saying: "Some people don't like to take responsibility for their own shit. They blame everything in their life on somebody else. Good luck!"
The entire conversation was captured on Kamel's dashboard camera, and was handed to Bloomberg.
48 hours later, Kalanick met with Kamel to apologise and potentially offer to pay for his vehicles. Uber's legal counsel Sallie Yoo reportedly advised that Kalanick would have to stump up for the cars out of his own pocket, though whether he actually did so isn't clear. Kalanick's spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.
Though Kalanick was scheduled to give a simple apology, he apparently stuck around for an hour with Kamel to discuss the problems with Uber.
A spokesman told Recode: "Travis met with Mr. Kamel following their interaction in Mr. Kamel's car, where he apologized for his behavior and the two had a constructive discussion. Travis appreciated the conversation and thought it led to greater understanding for each person's perspective. The meeting ended on a positive note, and Travis appreciated Mr. Kamel's openness and forgiveness."
Kalanick subsequently stepped down as CEO and was replaced by former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.