Uber employees are revolting following the unceremonious resignation of CEO Travis Kalanick.
Staffers at the embattled ride-hailing company are circulating an anonymous petition intended to reinstate their boss.
In emails obtained by BuzzFeed News, managers are sending the petition to employees urging them to “revolt this.”
“TK, no matter his flaws (everyone has them) was one of the best leaders I have seen,” the email reads.
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On Facebook, Uber employees are sharing long, detailed statuses thanking Kalanick for his time at Uber. Margaret-Ann Seger, a product manager of international growth at Uber, wrote a public post (which was liked by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg), calling Kalanick “the OG builder.” She adds, “Thank you for creating a culture where–as a woman–it was okay to, no, encouraged to speak up.” The post already has 123 shares, and more than 680 likes. Other employees are using the hashtag #UberOn to express their frustration.
Andrew Chen, head of growth at Uber, wrote an essay on his website detailing Kalanick’s strengths and thanking him for his “hustle and determination.” Chen also included a roundup of Facebook posts from fellow Uber colleagues praising the former CEO.
“Travis I will miss you but I’ll never forget what I learned from you. You’ve launched a thousand of us, your disciples, out into Silicon Valley. Let’s fucking do this. Game on,” one post reads.
The petition, which leads users to an internal site, comes two days after five investors demanded Kalanick resign from his role as chief executive. In spite of sexual harassment allegations, a video of Kalanick berating a driver, and a passenger boycott on social media, Kalanick remains a beloved leader to many still employed at Uber.
“We cannot accept investors cave in to the media and remove TK,” the petition email reads. “Uber is TK and TK is Uber.”
