Amid ongoing internal crises and changes by the company board, Uber has experienced the departure of one of its most prominent senior executives.
The departure of Emil Michael, Uber’s SVP of business and a right-hand man to CEO Travis Kalanick, was confirmed by a company spokesperson to CNN Tech. With his departure, Uber is now without a COO, CMO, CFO, CBO, general counsel, and head of engineering.
Michael’s departure comes after reports over the weekend suggested he may leave Uber following an investigation into sexual harassment and workplace culture at the San Francisco-based technology company. The independent investigation was conducted by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Tammy Albarrán. It was spurred by Susan Fowler, a former Uber employee, who alleged in a viral blog post that Uber ignored and mishandled sexual harassment issues. In a meeting on Sunday, Uber’s board of directors voted unanimously to adopt all recommendations from the “Holder Report.”
It appears that Michael’s fate at the company was also debated during that seven-hour long Sunday board meeting, partly due to his often controversial behavior.
In 2014, he suggested to BuzzFeed Editor-in-chief Ben Smith that Uber could dig up dirt on journalists who were critical in their reporting about the company. Kalanick condemned Michael’s comments as “terrible,” but refused to fire him from his post. Also, in 2014, Michael made a now notorious visit to an escort bar in South Korea with Kalanick and other Uber employees. He was also reported to have been involved in an incident where an Uber executive who he managed directly viewed the confidential medical records, along with a police file, of a woman who had been violently raped by an Uber driver in India.
According to Recode, one Uber executive joked: “Not many people cross Emil and live to tell the tale.” Another reportedly said, “Emil is the chief sycophant officer to Travis.”
Inside of Uber, Michael was long considered to be the No. 2 man to Kalanick and one of his closest friends, with a common reference to their relationship being “it’s a bromance.” Due to his key role in helping Uber raise billions from private investors to become the world’s most valuable startup, Michael was long considered untouchable. It’s clear that wasn’t the case.
Now that Michael is gone, it is likely that Kalanick will also step back. Uber’s board is considering a leave of absence for their chief executive, particularly following the death of his mother and serious injury of his father in a boating accident in May.
In an email he sent to employees concerning his departure, Michael announced that David Richter, Uber’s VP of Strategic Initiatives, will be the company’s new SVP of Business. You can read the full email here.
Danita White for TechFunnel.com
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