It seemed like a victory for the government and taxis: the suspension of UberPop on July 3, 2015. The reality is quite different. Because no one knows, at the time, that this decision is part of a “deal”, passed in all discretion with the Minister of the Economy at the time: Emmanuel Macron.
The “Uber Files”, thousands of internal documents obtained by the British daily The Guardian, lift the veil on the relationship between Californian society and the current President of the Republic. For at least two years, the leaders of Uber exchanged with Emmanuel Macron and his cabinet and even met them, on multiple occasions. Most of the time, these interviews are confidential, held behind the walls of Bercy or in posh restaurants. Thanks to them, Uber ends up obtaining a relaxation of the law and establishing itself in France.
Because outside, the company of VTC deploys, since its arrival in France in 2012, a true “strategy of chaos”. Repeated complaints, inquiries and searches do not matter: “Violence guarantees success”, assures Travis Kalanick, the charismatic and controversial founder of the platform. To impose their service, senior Uber officials know how to take advantage of the violent opposition of taxis, do not hesitate to finance the costs incurred by its drivers concerned by the law and try, by many means, to influence the law.