{"id":119479,"date":"2017-09-25T15:09:36","date_gmt":"2017-09-25T19:09:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=119479"},"modified":"2017-09-25T15:09:36","modified_gmt":"2017-09-25T19:09:36","slug":"damage-control-is-it-too-late-for-uber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2017\/09\/damage-control-is-it-too-late-for-uber\/","title":{"rendered":"Damage Control: Is it Too Late for Uber?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Uber's new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is already trying to find ways to raise morale and the moral compass of the company.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Uber\u2019s new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has been on the job less than six weeks and is already facing more crises than the average top executive faces in a career.<\/p>\n

He faced his latest biggest hurdle \u2014 the revocation of Uber\u2019s license to operate in London \u2014\u00a0by dealing with it head on: a full-page advertisement apologizing to the city and its residents for not tackling a variety of problems.<\/p>\n

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Technology News!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“While Uber has revolutionized the way people move in cities around the world, it’s equally true that we’ve got things wrong along the way,” he wrote in a letter first published London\u2019s The Evening Standard. “On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologize for the mistakes we’ve made.”<\/p>\n

The move is seen as the first step in turning around the company\u2019s image, but the real question is: Can he step quickly enough to pull the company out of a self-induced freefall that could see it fall behind its competition \u2014\u00a0or worse.<\/p>\n

(London kicks Uber from the curb. For the story, <\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The apology wasn\u2019t only move aimed at cleaning up the company\u2019s image. He made it clear that he alone could not undo much of what has been done by former CEO Travis Kalanick and other now-departed Uber officials.<\/p>\n

In an internal email sent to staff on Friday, which was leaked to the New York Times, Khosrowshahi also told Uber\u2019s workforce: \u201cGoing forward, it\u2019s critical that we act with integrity in everything we do, and learn how to be a better partner to every city we operate in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The problem with Khosrowshahi\u2019s seemingly heart-felt apology is that Uber\u2019s long history of legal, sexual and other scandals have an equally long collection of apologies from which the ride-sharing company never seemed to learn from.<\/p>\n

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A copy of the letter from Khosrowshahi to Londoners he sent via Twitter and The Evening Standard newspaper.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earlier this month,\u00a0the company apologized\u00a0after Uber Bangalore sent out a \u201ctotally inappropriate\u201d promotional message for \u201cWife Appreciation Day,\u201d offering users a discount on UberEATS in order to \u201clet your wife take a day off from the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

In June, it sent an apologetic email to frequent Uber riders in New York who were using the service less often because of ongoing problems, apologizing for not ensuring that riders and drivers would be taken care of, \u201cwe realize that we have fallen short.\u201d<\/p>\n

That June Uber apologies were also issued to a woman who was raped in India by her driver in 2014 and whose medical files were handled in appropriately, and by David Bonderman, an Uber board member, apologized for making a sexually suggestive remark to a woman in front of other employees. He issued his \u201cI\u2019m sorry\u201d later that day and resigned the next day.<\/p>\n

In May, Uber apologized to the city of Austin, Texas, for pulling its service from the city in a huff over how it conducted background checks. In February, the aforementioned Kalanick said he was sorry for verbally abusing an Uber driver who called him out for Uber\u2019s payment policy, as well as the one prior to that in February when he apologized regarding the Fowler incident in a company-wide email.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s apologized at least four other times during the past two years for a variety of incidents and issues. So, Khosrowshahi\u2019s commitment to \u201clisten to you; we will look to be long-term partners with the cities we serve; and we will run our business with humility, integrity and passion,” may not have the impact he hopes.<\/p>\n

(<\/em><\/strong>Click Here<\/a><\/span>\u00a0to see more about\u00a0Uber facing several criminal probes.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

However, it did get the attention of London\u2019s mayor, Sadiq Khan, who backed the ban instituted by Transport for London. He praised the apology, suggesting it may open the door to talks between the company and city transport officials.<\/p>\n

“Obviously I am pleased that he has acknowledged the issues that Uber faces in London,” the mayor said in a statement. “Even though there is a legal process in place, I have asked TfL to make themselves available to meet with him.”<\/p>\n

No timetable has been set for the meeting, but it\u2019ll need to take place before Sept. 30, if it is to have any impact. Of course, once they get there, they\u2019ll have to address some of the issues that caused the transportation authority to determine Uber was \u201cnot fit and proper to hold a private vehicle hire license.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agency\u2019s top issues were Uber\u2019s method for reporting serious criminal offenses, process for driver background checks and its uses of Greyball, a software that can block regulators from gaining complete access to information within the Uber app.<\/p>\n

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Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was forced to resign in the wake of lawsuits, sexual harassment charges and other complaints about the company.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If Khosrowshahi can make things right in London, the return to the states isn\u2019t any more appealing, as he must begin to clean up a string of scandals involving allegations of sexism and bullying at the San Francisco-based start-up that forced out former CEO and co-founder Kalanick in June, including:<\/p>\n