• Uber Files are a collection of over 124,000 documents from 2013 to 2017.
• They include 83,000 emails and 1,000 other conversation-related files.
• The documents provide a first-hand look at the extent it went to in order to succeed.

Thousands of leaked documents have shown Uber’s extensive efforts to evade justice, including how it courted prominent lawmakers.

They go into depth on the substantial support that Uber received from public figures like Emmanuel Macron and former EU commissioner Neelie Kroes.

They also demonstrate how the ex-boss of the cab company personally authorised the usage of a “kill switch” to stop computer access by raiding police.

Uber claims that it is a “different company” now and that its “previous behaviour wasn’t in accordance with present ideals.”

The Uber Files are a collection of over 124,000 documents from 2013 to 2017, including 83,000 emails and 1,000 other conversation-related files.

They were sent to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the Guardian, and a number other media outlets, including BBC Panorama. They disclose for the first time how a $90 million per year lobbying and PR campaign enlisted supportive lawmakers to aid in its effort to upend Europe’s taxi sector.

The controversial Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was on first name terms with Mr. Macron, the current president, and he promised him that he would change the law to benefit the company as French taxi drivers conducted sometimes violent protests against Uber in the streets.

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Although Uber’s brutal business practises were well known, the documents provide a first-hand look at the extent it went to in order to succeed.

They demonstrate how Neelie Kroes, a former EU digital commissioner and one of Brussels’ top officials, was considering joining Uber before her tenure ended and afterwards engaged in covert lobbying for the company, possibly in violation of EU ethics regulations.

In addition to being one of the most rapidly expanding businesses in the world at the time, Uber was also one of the most contentious due to ongoing legal disputes, allegations of sexual harassment, and data security scandals.

When investors finally had enough, Travis Kalanick was fired in 2017.

According to Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, who replaced him, has “established the strict controls and compliance necessary to function as a public company” and was “tasked with reforming every area of how Uber operates.”

“Spectacular” Macron assistance

Uber’s first European launch took place in Paris, when it was faced with fierce opposition from the taxi industry that resulted in violent public protests.

Emmanuel Macron, a driven former banker, has just been appointed minister of the economy in August 2014. He was eager to assist since he regarded Uber as a source of growth and desperately needed new jobs.

He met with Mr. Kalanick and other executives and lobbyists that October, which served as the beginning of a protracted but under-publicized term as a champion of the contentious company’s interests within government.

Mark MacGann, an Uber lobbyist, praised the encounter as “amazing. like nothing I’ve ever seen “The files display. We’ll start dancing soon, he added.

According to the documents, “Emmanuel” and “Travis” quickly became friends and met at least four times, twice in Paris and once at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Only the Davos gathering has been covered thus far.

Uber once wrote to Mr. Macron expressing its “great gratitude.” The friendliness and openness we experience are exceptional in the context of government-industry ties.

The 2014 release of UberPop, a service that allowed illegal drivers to offer trips at significantly lower pricing, particularly infuriated French cab drivers.

Although it was outlawed by the courts and the legislature, Uber continued to operate despite the restrictions.

Although Mr. Macron didn’t believe UberPop had a future, he decided to collaborate with the firm to change the legislation governing its other services in France.

“Uber will offer a general foundation for a ridesharing regulatory system. We will link our teams to begin developing a workable plan that might serve as France’s legal framework “Travis Kalanick wrote to Mr. Macron in an email.

After the protests turned violent on June 25, 2015, Mr. Macron emailed Mr. Kalanick a week later with what appeared to be an offer of assistance.

“I’ll gather everyone together the following week to plan the revision and update the law.”

Uber announced the suspension of UberPop in France on the same day.

Later, Mr. Macron approved a decree that loosened the rules for Uber driver licence.

The current president of France’s involvement with the contentious multinational corporation that was breaking French law has not previously been made public.

“His functions inevitably led him to meet and contact with many enterprises engaged in the sharp transition which came out during those years in the service sector, which had to be supported by unlocking administrative and regulatory impediments,” a representative for Mr. Macron wrote in an email.

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