Uber has been through a lot of pain lately, and it’s just not ending. The company has lost a prominent top executive, President Jeff Jones, who was overseeing its branding, customer support and operations divisions. Jones was poached from Target last August to be Uber’s number two executive.
More than one departure
The ride-hailing service really needs to improve its image, and Jones’ departure will severely affect the company. Jones told Reuters that he’s leaving because he has not been able to relate to the kind of business Uber is into.
“I joined Uber because of its mission, and the challenge to build global capabilities that would help the company mature and thrive long term. It is now clear, however, that the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business,” Jones told the news outlet.
Another major departure is that of Brian McClendon, who is the vice president of Uber’s maps and business platform. McClendon will likely quit the company by the end of March. However, he will continue offering his services to the company as an adviser.
McClendon told Reuters that he is interested in politics, and to explore this, he is moving back to Kansas, where he grew up. Before being hired at Uber nearly two years ago, McClendon was working with Google, where he helped developing Google Earth and played a pivotal role in the company’s geo-location technology research.
Uber CEO in need of helping hands
Uber has lost several executives this year, and hence, these two departures come as a serious blow to the ride-hailing service. Many at the company even believed that Jones would succeed CEO Travis Kalanick or work with him in an equally important role, notes The New York Times.
Uber’s board of directors and investors were hoping that the company would come out of this problematic phase soon. Kalanick has faced accusations of not being able to tackle the human resources issues that the company has been facing. Now that Jones is leaving and Kalanick is not able to manage things solely, times will really be tough for Uber until a suitable person joins to help the CEO and the company come out this mess.
