Most tech companies are publicly blasting President Donald Trump for pretty much everything he’s been doing, and it’s certainly much safer to do that, as people are protesting Uber’s support of the President. He claims that most support his anti-Muslim policies, although it certainly doesn’t seem like it.
Uber chief voices support for Trump
Social media users have been spreading the hashtag Delete Uber to protest the company’s support for the president. His presidency has been one big conflict since before he was even declared the winner of the election, it seems to be getting worse with each passing day. The current protests are largely against his ban on immigrants from countries which have populations that are mostly Muslims. The temporary ban includes seven countries, at least for now, and Uber users are outraged by the company’s alignment with the president.
Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick told employees at the company that they must work with Trump, reports Business Insider. He also said they would be willing to “partner with anyone in the world as long as they’re about making transportation in cities safer, creating job opportunities, making it easier to get around, getting pollution out of the air and traffic off the streets.” He checked a lot of the boxes on Trump’s presidential platform in that list.
Uber does damage control
In response to Kalanick’s comments, social media users who also used Uber are posting screenshots showing that they’re deleting their Uber accounts. They’re also tagging the images with the hashtag Delete Uber. Twitter user @Bro_Pair is credited with starting the hashtag, which now has more than 7,000 retweets.
Along with the hashtag, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance called for a one-hour strike at JFK Airport in New York to protest Trump’s Muslim ban. Uber is accused of breaking the strike and was charging higher fares due to surge pricing caused by the lack of available taxis during the strike. The company later turned off surge pricing, however.
Kalanick is now trying to clarify that he doesn’t support all of the president’s policies, as he issued a statement on Saturday condemning the travel ban for Muslims. He also pledged compensation for drivers who use Uber and are affected by the ban and outlined what else they’re doing to help.
Not all of Uber’s management supports Trump
A few employees have said that they understand Kalanick’s stance because it is better for the company—whether or not they like Trump.
However, some unnamed sources at Uber told Business Insider that employees were angry about being linked to Trump because the company takes pride in its diversity. Protesters chained themselves to the ride-sharing company’s front door on Friday. This prompted management to advise employees to work from home without noting that the company is being protested.
Uber CTO Thuan Pham called Trump a “deplorable person” in an email not long after the president was announced the winner of the November election. In the days since the company’s name was linked with support for the president, that email has again surfaced.
Protests for Trump’s Muslim ban
Kalanick also noted in his comments to employees last week that they’re joining with the chief executives of Disney, Tesla, General Motors, IBM and “maybe 15 other companies you’ve heard of” in a political party they’re calling the “Urban Mobility Party.”
It seems interesting that others such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk have gotten off easy in terms of working with Trump. Even Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook met with Trump recently, as top Silicon Valley executives understand that it’s necessary to work with the person who has the power. After all, Trump has demanded that the iPhone maker move manufacturing to the U.S., so if Cook is going to mitigate the effects on his company, he will have to “make nice” with the president.
