After Bloomberg News published a video of Travis Kalanick being a total dick to an Uber driver who complained about how poorly Uber drivers are paid, the Uber CEO and co-founder issued a sorry-ish, apology-ish public statement.
It's not his first of late. Today's Kalanick kerfuffle comes just one week after he was forced to issue a similar statement regarding a detailed account of sexual harassment at Uber published a former engineer.
Now, Kalanick said it's time for him to “grow up” and get “leadership help.”
In the Bloomberg video, Kalanick argues with an Uber driver who tells him rates have been cut and he has lost money.
Kalanick, who is 40, responds angrily that some people don't take responsibility for their own actions.
"It’s clear this video is a reflection of me – and the criticism we’ve received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up,” said Kalanick later in a prepared statement. “This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it,” he wrote.
Leadership help.
Travis Kalanick at the 89th Academy Awards – Oscars Vanity Fair Party, Feb. 2017. REUTERS
In the video published by Bloomberg on Tuesday, the driver in a dash cam tells Kalanick, a passenger, that "people are not trusting you anymore," and complains that rates for drivers have fallen.
Kalanick responds, "Some people don't like to take responsibility for their own shit. They blame everything in their life on somebody else. Good luck!"
In his statement released later on Tuesday, Kalanick said he was ashamed for treating the driver disrespectfully, and he apologized to the driver and others.
Travis Kalanick at the 89th Academy Awards – Oscars Vanity Fair Party, Feb. 2017. REUTERS
