Uber’s Year In Scandals

<b> by Andrew Caringi</b>

Uber, the online service for on-demand drivers, is valued at about $70 billion and operates in over 400 cities worldwide. Over the last 12 months, however, the company has faced a barrage of lawsuits ever since its launch culminating in CEO Travis Kalanick taking an indefinite leave of absence in June.

Get up to speed with this summary of notable controversies surrounding the company.

Google vs. Uber

Google alleges that Uber stole confidential files from its self-driving car unit, Waymo. Ex-Google employee Anthony Levandowski is accused of downloading nearly 10 gigabytes of Waymo blueprints and design files, and then handing them over to Uber when his self-driving truck company, Otto, was acquired for $680 million. A federal judge ruled that the stolen files must be returned immediately. Uber recently fired Levandowski.

Rape Victim Sues

A woman, who was raped by one of Uber’s drivers in India, has filed a lawsuit against the company. CEO Travis Kalanick and two former senior executives are accused of obtaining her medical records without consent. Because, she claims, they believed her rape may have been part of a conspiracy devised by a rival taxi company.

Accusations Of Overcharging

An Uber driver claims in a lawsuit that uber calculates two separate fares. One for the passenger, which is based on a longer, more expensive ride and a shorter, cheaper route that determines the driver’s pay. The lawsuit alleges that Uber pockets the difference.

Allegations Of Sexual Harassment

A former female engineer says Uber ignored her after she reported being harassed by her supervisor. Uber fired 20 employees after an internal investigation.

The U.S. government says Uber lied about how much money its drivers earn, in an effort to recruit prospective employees. The company settled the lawsuit for $20 million.

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