2017 was a tough year for Uber. The ridehailing giant was worth a reported $68 billion as of August 2016—but in late 2016, problems began piling on.
We've put together a timeline of key events to keep track of what's going on at Uber. The timeline below was updated through the end of 2017.
We've put together a timeline of key events to keep track of what's going on at Uber. The timeline below was updated through the end of 2017.
Dec 14 2016 |
![]() CEO Travis Kalanick joins Trump's strategic and policy forum. (He later resigned). |
|
Jan 28 2017 |
![]() The #DeleteUber hashtag, which emerged after the company allegedly tried to profit from immigration ban protests, goes viral. |
|
Feb 19 | ![]() |
|
20 | Prompted by Fowler's blog post, Uber hires former US Attorney General Eric Holder and his colleague to lead an independent review of the company's work environment and diversity. (Results expected week of May 30.) | |
23 | ![]() Senior director of engineering Raffi Krikorian steps down. |
|
26 | Reports surface of errors in Uber's self-driving mapping tech. | |
27 | Amit Singhal, SVP of engineering, resigns over sexual harassment allegations at his former workplace, Google. | |
28 | ![]() |
|
Mar 3 | Reports emerge of secret Greyball tool, which Uber reportedly uses to circumvent law enforcement. Senior engineer Charlie Miller leaves to join rival ridehailing company Didi Chuxing. VP of product and growth Ed Baker steps down. |
|
8 | Gary Marcus, director of AI Labs, resigns. | |
19 | ![]() |
|
20 | Brian McClendon, VP of maps and business platform and a named party in Waymo's lawsuit, resigns. | |
Apr 11 | Head of communications and policy Rachel Whetsone leaves because she's reportedly tired of the drama. | |
13 | ![]() |
|
17 | VP of global vehicle programs Sherif Marakby leaves. | |
27 | ![]() |
|
May 4 | US Dept. of Justice opens criminal investigation into the company's use of the Greyball tool. | |
11 | Judge denies Uber's request to arbitrate Waymo lawsuit; refers case to US Attorney's office for possible criminal investigation re: alleged theft of trade secrets. | |
19 | ![]() |
|
21 | The company begins looking for a new general counsel. | |
25 | Josh Mohrer, general manager for Uber New York, steps down. | |
30 | Uber fires Levandowski for his failure to hand over files. | |
31 | ![]() |
|
June 5 | The company hires Frances Frei as its first SVP of leadership and strategy, saying "we know we all have a lot to learn from her." | |
6 | ![]() Uber fires more than 20 employees as part of an ongoing sexual harassment and workplace culture investigation. |
|
7 | Judge denies Uber's request to keep private an internal report re: self-driving technology—the report could be a pivotal piece of evidence in the ongoing Waymo lawsuit. Eric Alexander, president of Uber's Asia Pacific business, is fired. Reports say the termination was due to his mishandling of the medical records of a woman who had been raped during a ride in India. |
|
8 | Reports emerge that Uber is in advanced talks to acquire engineers and tech from Luxe, an on-demand valet startup that shut down its app earlier in the year. The company appoints Brian Zajac as the new head of hardware engineering for its self-driving car unit. |
|
11 | Uber's board unanimously votes to adopt all recommendations put forth by the investigation into its company culture led by former US Attorney General Eric Holder. The company is said to be considering a leave of absence for Kalanick. | |
12 | ![]() |
|
13 | Uber releases recommendations from the investigation into the company's culture. HR chief Liane Hornsey says in a statement: "Implementing these recommendations will improve our culture, promote fairness and accountability, and establish processes and systems to ensure the mistakes of the past will not be repeated." Kalanick officially begins a leave of absence. David Bonderman steps down from Uber's board after making a sexist comment during an all-company meeting. |
|
15 |
![]() A week after Eric Alexander was fired from his position as head of Uber's Asia Pacific business due to his mishandling of the medical records of a woman who was raped during an Uber ride, the victim files a lawsuit against the company for defamation and violation of privacy. |
|
20 | Amid intense pressure from investors, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigns. Uber introduces its "180 Days of Change" initiative, which it says is meant to help change the experience for its drivers. "We know there's a long road ahead, but we won't stop until we get there," the company said in an announcement.; |
|
21 | ![]() |
|
22 | Reports emerge that TPG partner David Trujillo will replace David Bonderman on Uber's board. | |
30 | In the latest installment of the Waymo lawsuit, Uber lays out its defense. The company plans to support its assertion that its leaders didn't know Anthony Levandowski had stolen confidential files before he left Waymo. | |
July 10 | Waymo drops three of its four patent claims against Uber, though it will continue to pursue its trade secret claims, which make up the bulk of the case. | |
17 | ![]() |
|
Aug 9 | Reports emerge that the company is planning to shut down its subprime car-leasing unit in a move that could result in layoffs for about 3% of its 15,000 employees. | |
10 | ![]() |
|
11 | Other Uber investors call for Benchmark to give up its board seat and its right to appoint board members. | |
14 | ![]() Kalanick issues a statement about the lawsuit, saying he's "disappointed and baffled by Benchmark's hostile actions, which clearly are not in the best interests of Uber and its employees on whose behalf they claim to be acting." |
|
17 | Kalanick files a motion to dismiss the Benchmark lawsuit, accusing the investor of executing a plan to oust him "at the most shameful of times," just after his mother's death. | |
27 | ![]() |
|
Sept 27 | London's transportation arm rejects Uber's application to renew its license after concluding the company is "not fit and proper" to operate in the city. (Uber launched an appeal a few weeks later.) | |
29 | Kalanick appoints two new members to the company's board of directors, something Uber called "a complete surprise." | |
Oct 3 | Uber's board votes unanimously to implement several new governance reforms, including some that will limit Kalanick's power, and move forward with a direct investment from SoftBank. | |
30 | The company hires Tony West as its new chief legal officer. | |
Nov 21 | ![]() |
|
27 | The City of Chicago sues Uber for failing to disclose the data breach. US Sen. Mark Warner issues a set of questions to Khosrowshahi regarding the cyberattack. |
|
28 | In an echo of Chicago's actions the day before, the state of Washington sues the company for failure to disclose the data breach. SoftBank launches tender offer in a bid to buy shares from existing investors at a valuation of roughly $48 billion. |
|
Dec 20 | The European Union's top court rules that Uber is not a digital service but a transport company and, as such, it should be regulated like other taxi operators.![]() |
|
Dec 28 | SoftBank completes its tender offer, buying a 15% stake in Uber at a valuation of $48 billion. |
Here's more of our Uber coverage.
Tags:
Join the more than 1.5 million industry professionals who get our daily newsletter!
Comments:
Thanks for commenting
Our team will review your remarks prior to publishing.
Please check back soon to see them live.