The global giant of ride-hailing, Uber, is accused of having engaged in brutal, even illegal, methods to impose itself in its infancy. Emmanuel Macron, then Minister of Economy and Digital, would have facilitated the establishment of the firm in France.
An international investigation carried out by numerous international media affiliated with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reveals that the Uber company has, for several years, used tools and methods aimed at protecting itself from government investigations by a side, and using the power of lobbying to find a place in certain countries like France, on the other. We thus speak of “Uber Files”.
The “circuit breaker”, an infallible way to slow down investigations
The ICIJ investigation brings together no less than 124,000 documents, dated from 2013 to 2017, which include e-mails, text messages, calls and others from Uber executives at the time, containing invoices, notes and presentations, constituting the Uber Files.
Among the practices pointed out, the consortium of 42 media evokes that of the “circuit breaker”. During a visit by inspectors, for example, it allows Uber computers to be disconnected very quickly from the company’s servers, ” which would prevent authorities from seizing sensitive company documents “, we are told. This famous kill switch would have been used during raids by inspectors in Uber offices located in France, but also in the Netherlands, Belgium, Romania, Hungary and India. Some e-mails mention express requests for computers to be shut down, others evoking ” real-time updates “. A rather effective way to block the investigations carried out, without having to implicate the employees of the company.
The circuit breaker is not the only method denounced in the investigation. Uber also allegedly spotted police officers, investigators or government officials ordering Uber cars to try to gather evidence. In Brussels, local authorities have even outsourced the recruitment of mystery shoppers to Uber. Each time, the company would have taken measures to protect itself. The tactics to fight the application have even reportedly been compiled into a kind of manual for all staff to know.
Emmanuel Macron’s role in Uber’s breakthrough in France
Many remember the historic rumble of taxis in Marseille in 2015, who vigorously protested against Uber which, according to them, broke the laws and threatened their profession. On October 20, 2015, the service was then temporarily suspended. This is where Emmanuel Macron comes into play.
At the time, the dashing Minister of the Economy and Digital exchanged on various occasions with several senior representatives of Uber, then facing multiple investigations. Through documents revealed by the ICIJ, we learn that the American giant received the support of Emmanuel Macron in France, but also that of the Israeli Prime Minister at the time Benjamin Netanyahu. This, in addition to meetings with then Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, then Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, and others. Even Joe Biden, American vice-president in 2016, was charmed by the founder of Uber Travis Kalanick, who convinced him in Davos to praise the benefits of the application in the middle of the World Economic Forum.
Uber denies any preferential treatment from the company to Emmanuel Macron or his cabinet, despite the dozen communications documented by The world reporting text messages, meetings, e-mails and calls between Macron or his collaborators and Uber, between September 2014 and 2016.
There would have followed a quack between the one who has today been re-elected to the presidency of France and the Minister of the Interior at the time, Bernard Cazeneuve, who says he was not aware of any agreement. between the French government and Uber. However, the company immediately announced the suspension of the UberPOP service in France. In exchange, the company would have obtained the guarantee of a regulatory relaxation which would be favorable to it, would facilitate its establishment and would then consolidate its position in the country.
The intense lobbying of Uber, which responds to the ICIJ and does not seek excuses
Lobbying, therefore, is somewhat the armed wing of Uber, which has built a behemoth of influence whose budget in 2016 was $90 million. ” The company borrowed strategies it had perfected in the United States “, explains the ICIJ. For example, to settle in a city, Uber needed political strength, and what better than to recruit former government officials to put pressure on former colleagues? The survey goes even further, even mentioning the proximity to certain academics, paid to produce research favorable to the company, or the solicitation of customers to sign petitions.
The company has also appealed to so-called strategic investors, to encourage them to put some money into the application and thus influence the legislative arsenal in various countries, precisely to overcome regulatory obstacles. Xavier Niel invested 10 million dollars in Uber, Bernard Arnault 5 million. ” We don’t need their money per se, but we could be useful allies in winning France “wrote, for example, the chief lobbyist of Uber Mark MacGann about Arnault. And the list of lobbyists is impressive, some having even been offered shares in the company, or success fees after favorable results. At the same time, the mercenaries offered various benefits (discounts on Uber rides, campaign contributions, etc.) to government officials.
In a blog post, Uber spokesperson Jill Hazelbaker puts these many damning elements in the old storybook. ” That’s why Uber hired a new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, who has been tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates. “, she explains, recalling that there was a before and an after, “ 90% of current Uber employees who joined the company after Dara’s arrival “.
” We have not justified and do not seek excuses for behaviors that are inconsistent with our current values as a company “, adds the spokesperson, who asks the public to judge Uber on what has been done rather in the last five years. Today, Uber’s operations are regulated in more than 10,000 cities around the world.
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Sources: ICIJ, Uber
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