A leaked trove of confidential files has revealed the inside story of how the tech giant Uber
flouted laws, duped police, exploited violence against drivers and
secretly lobbied governments during its aggressive global expansion.
The
unprecedented leak to the Guardian of more than 124,000 documents –
known as the Uber files – lays bare the ethically questionable practices
that fuelled the company’s transformation into one of Silicon Valley’s
most famous exports.
The leak spans a five-year period when Uber was run by its co-founder Travis Kalanick,
who tried to force the cab-hailing service into cities around the
world, even if that meant breaching laws and taxi regulations.
During
the fierce global backlash, the data shows how Uber tried to shore up
support by discreetly courting prime ministers, presidents,
billionaires, oligarchs and media barons. …
Exclusive: Mark MacGann says he has decided to speak out about firm to ‘right some fundamental wrongs’
Mark
MacGann, a career lobbyist who led Uber’s efforts to win over
governments across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has come forward
to identify himself as the source who leaked more than 124,000 company
files to the Guardian.
MacGann decided to speak out, he says, because he believes Uber knowingly flouted laws in dozens of countries and misled people about the benefits to drivers of the company’s gig-economy model.
The
52-year-old acknowledges he was part of Uber’s top team at the time –
and is not without blame for the conduct he describes. In an exclusive
interview with the Guardian, he said he was partly motivated by remorse.
“I
am partly responsible,” he said. “I was the one talking to governments,
I was the one pushing this with the media, I was the one telling people
that they should change the rules because drivers were going to benefit
and people were going to get so much economic opportunity.
“When that turned out not to be the case – we had
actually sold people a lie – how can you have a clear conscience if you
don’t stand up and own your contribution to how people are being treated
today?”
The senior role MacGann held at Uber
between 2014 and 2016 put him at the heart of decisions taken at the
highest levels of the company during the period in which it was forcing
its way into markets in violation of taxi-licensing laws. He oversaw
Uber’s attempts to persuade governments to change taxi regulations and
create a more favourable business environment in more than 40 countries.
He
said the ease with which Uber penetrated the highest echelons of power
in countries such as the UK, France and Russia was “intoxicating” but
also “deeply unfair” and “anti-democratic”. …
