Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Withdraws From Trump Council Amid Backlash

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is giving up his seat on the president's business advisory council after facing criticism from activists for his stance toward Donald Trump's administration.

The company found itself in a public relations mess last weekend as Trump's executive order or immigration was implemented. A New York City taxi driver union boycotted the center of emerging protests, JFK Airport for an hour, and Uber subsequently ended its surge pricing in the area. This led many to accuse the company of trying to break the strike.

In response, opponents of Trump's policies began deleting the ride-hailing app from their phones; the fact that Kalanick had agreed to sit on the president's council, where he said he would oppose the executive order, only added fuel to the flames.

Now, Kalanick is taking decisive measures to calm the consumer outrage.

The New York Times printed an email Kalanick sent to his employees, reporting that he had expressed his disapproval to the president and resigned from the board:

“Earlier today I spoke briefly with the president about the immigration executive order and its issues for our community,” Mr. Kalanick wrote. “I also let him know that I would not be able to participate on his economic council. Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that.”

Photo credit: Kevin Krejci