Uber’s goals for international expansion are outlined in a vast collection of internal papers that were leaked to The sources and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) as well as dozens of other news organizations. Over 124,000 papers from 2013 to 2017 are included in the leak, known as the Uber Files. After the leak, Uber reacted in a post on its website, claiming it had “gone from the age of conflict to one of collaboration” since CEO Dara Khosrowshahi assumed control in 2017 following the ouster of founder Travis Kalanick.
The leak also “shows how Uber sought to shore up support by clandestinely wooing prime ministers, presidents, billionaires, oligarchs, and media barons,” according to The Guardian. The leaked information includes “emails, iMessage, and WhatsApp communications between the Silicon Valley giant’s most senior officials,” in addition to memoranda, presentations, notebooks, and other revealing materials. In one article from The Washington Post, it is claimed that Uber used a “kill switch” to turn off its computer systems “to prevent authorities from successfully investigating the company’s business practices as it disrupted the global taxi industry,” and in another, the company is described as having “leveraged violent attacks” on drivers to further its goals. Citations from the company’s “Dawn Raid Manual,” which contained the advice to “never leave the Regulators alone,” are included in the report.
According to a BBC story, French President Emmanuel Macron told the CEO of Uber that he might change the law to Uber’s advantage. It also demonstrates how Neelie Kroes, a former EU commissioner, was informally advocating for the business during a “cooling-off” period before joining and negotiating to join its advisory board before leaving her final European position. According to The Guardian, executives “were under no illusions about the company’s law-breaking, with one executive joking they had become ‘pirates'” as Uber started providing its ride-sharing services all over the world. Nairi Hourdajian, who served as Uber’s previous head of worldwide communications, reportedly wrote: “Sometimes we have difficulties because, well, we’re just fucking illegal” in a message to a coworker in 2014.
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