Uber CEO Travis Kalanick apologizes for treating a driver 'disrespectfully': 'I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up'

In a memo to Uber employees posted to the company's blog, CEO Travis Kalanick has apologized for his behavior in a leaked video showing him fighting with an Uber driver over falling fares in February.

"My job as your leader is to lead…and that starts with behaving in a way that makes us all proud. That is not what I did, and it cannot be explained away," Kalanick writes. "This is the first time I've been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it."

In the dashcam video, Kalanick gets into a heated discussion with Uber driver Fawzi Kamel, with the CEO ultimately telling him that "Some people don't like to take responsibility for their own s---. They blame everything in their life on somebody else."

Here's the full text of Kalanick's memo, as shared by the company to its blog:

By now I'm sure you've seen the video where I treated an Uber driver disrespectfully. To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement. My job as your leader is to lead…and that starts with behaving in a way that makes us all proud. That is not what I did, and it cannot be explained away.

It's clear this video is a reflection of me-and the criticism we've received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up. This is the first time I've been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it.

I want to profoundly apologize to Fawzi, as well as the driver and rider community, and to the Uber team.

-Travis

Uber's very bad year is continuing as more evidence of a toxic work environment, starting at the top, comes to light.