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Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.
- Bloomberg on Thursday published a detailed report of Travis Kalanick's final months as Uber CEO and subsequent ouster.
- The story describes Kalanick as combative and stubborn, lobbying behind the scenes and attempting to maintain control of Uber.
- Kalanick even offered Uber stock to a driver he was caught yelling at on camera, according to the report, and when Uber's lawyers pushed back on that idea, he offered to pay the driver $200,000 of his own money.
- Bloomberg reports that by the time Kalanick was forced out of the CEO role, his judgment had "deteriorated."
More than six months after former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was ousted from the company, new details have come to light about how it all went down.
Bloomberg on Thursday published a detailed report of Kalanick's fall from grace, a series of events described as "weirder and darker" than anyone imagined. The piece details the final months of Kalanick's regime, which included secretive lobbying and contentious meetings.
Perhaps the most telling detail from the report was Kalanick's reaction to being caught on camera yelling at an Uber driver. Last February, dashcam footage was released of Kalanick debating a driver over falling fares. In the video - recorded by the driver, Fawzi Kamel - Kalanick becomes combative, yelling expletives at Kamel.
According to Bloomberg, Kalanick was at Uber's headquarters meeting with other top executives when the video was published. Here's how Bloomberg described Kalanick's reaction:
"As the clip ended, the three stood in stunned silence. Kalanick seemed to understand that his behavior required some form of contrition. According to a person who was there, he literally got down on his hands and knees and began squirming on the floor. 'This is bad,' he muttered. 'I'm terrible.'"
Months later, Kalanick scheduled a meeting with Kamel to set things right. According to Bloomberg, a meeting that was supposed to be quick and include an apology from Kalanick quickly became contentious and lasted for more than an hour as Kalanick re-engaged in the previous debate over pricing strategies.
By the end, Kalanick even reportedly offered Kamel Uber stock, a suggestion that was quickly nixed by Uber's lawyers. According to Bloomberg, Kalanick then agreed to pay Kamel $200,000 of his own money.
A spokesperson for Uber told Bloomberg: "The meeting ended on a positive note, and Travis appreciated Mr. Kamel's openness and forgiveness."
Bloomberg has plenty more details about Kalanick's final months at Uber, so head over there for more.