Passage in force, muscular lobbying, recruitment of former senior officials… An international investigation of journalists shows that the Uber platform has resorted to brutal practices and has ” break the law to win despite the reluctance of politicians and taxis.
the Guardiana British daily, obtained and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) some 124,000 documents, dated from 2013 to 2017, including emails and messages from Uber executives at the time, as well as presentations, notes and invoices.
On Sunday July 10, several dailies (including the washington post in the United States and The world in France) have published their first articles taken from these “Uber Files”. They highlight certain methods employed during these years of rapid expansion, but also of confrontation for Uber, from Paris to Johannesburg.
” The company has broken the law, deceived police and regulators, exploited violence against drivers and secretly lobbied governments around the world “says the Guardian in the introduction.
The articles mention in particular messages from Travis Kalanick, then boss of the San Francisco-based company, when executives worried about the risks for the drivers whom Uber encouraged to participate in a demonstration in Paris. “ I think it’s worth it “, replied the co-founder. “ Violence guarantees success “.
The company will not apologize
” We have not and will not make excuses for past behaviors that are clearly not aligned with our current values. Jill Hazelbaker, Uber’s vice president of public affairs, said in an online statement.
Uber recalls that the media has already covered the company’s errors before 2017 extensively, from press to books and even a television series. ” Uber is now one of the most important work platforms in the world and part of the daily lives of more than 100 million people. We have moved from an era of confrontation to an era of collaboration “says Jill Hazelbaker.
The French section
One of the aspects of the investigation concerns France, and how a certain Emmanuel Macron pleaded the cause of the American group. In 2014 and 2015, while Uber is expanding. But in France, the group is targeted by investigations. Taxis are waging war on it mainly because of the Uberpop offer, which allows any vehicle owner to act as a driver without a license.
In government, then-CEO Travis Kalanick and his teams paid several visits to Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron. Uber is asking for the relaxation of the Thévenoud law which governs the sector, in particular the duration of driver training deemed too long. Clue that Uber has found an attentive ear: this change will eventually come by decree.
In exchange, Uber must abandon the Uberpop service. But there are always more drivers in Paris, Marseille, which fuels the conflict VTC / taxis against a backdrop of accusations of social and fiscal dumping. And in this war, Uber’s allies are not in the Ministry of Transport or Labor, but in Bercy.
The Elysée press service, questioned by Radio France, replied simply that the past functions of the president naturally led him to discuss the means of lifting the locks to facilitate the transfer of the services embodied by Uber at the era.