Supported by
Morning Agenda: Time for a Break for Travis Kalanick?
It could finally be time for Travis Kalanick to take a break.
Uber’s board was considering a three-month leave of absence for Mr. Kalanick, the company’s chief executive, according to people with knowledge of the board’s agenda.
The ride-hailing service’s directors also unanimously voted to adopt all the recommendations made in a report by the former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr., who led an investigation into the company’s culture
These recommendations include the departure of Emil Michael, senior vice president of business and a close confidant of Mr. Kalanick’s.
Uber’s chief executive had already proposed taking time off after a boating accident that killed his mother and sent his father to hospital.
But the move to lessen Mr. Kalanick’s involvement and strip him of an ally could also mark a repudiation of the aggressive culture that he has fostered at Uber.
“This starts at the very top,” said Micah Alpern, a principal at A. T. Kearney, a management and consulting firm. “They need to start from scratch to create a new culture entirely.”
Uber has been roiled by concerns over sexual harassment and workplace culture, the mishandling of the medical records of a woman raped by an Uber driver in India, investigations into the tools it used to evade law enforcement, and a lawsuit over intellectual property.
Mr. Kalanick’s position has been secure, however, because he and a few allies hold the majority of super-voting shares on the board.
• Related: Uber faces a dilemma in Egypt, a country of 92 million with low rates of car ownership, that could become a prize market for the company. The Egyptian government wants access to “heaven,” the internal software that tracks every Uber ride and could be a powerful tool for the country’s security services.
Preparing for the Pinch in Britain
The only thing that’s certain after the election in Britain last week is more uncertainty.
The Conservatives lost their governing majority, weakening their hand just as they move toward negotiations to leave the European Union.
The pound was looking steadier on Monday morning after a steep plunge after exit polls were released.
But the weaker pound has already pushed up costs for consumers, raising questions about whether consumption, a main driver of economic activity, can keep the economy going.
Financial services are already planning to move jobs out of the country, and investment is expected to slow.
In light of this, as well as poor business confidence, business groups have been pushing for the government to strike a deal on leaving the European Union quickly.
Amazon Sued for Overtime Pay
Amazon’s warehouses are known as being a grueling place to work, but one former employee claims that managers are pushed too hard.
Michael Ortiz, a former shift manager for Amazon, has accused the company in a lawsuit of failing to pay him overtime wages.
Entry level workers are eligible for overtime pay under company policy, but salaried managers are not.
Mr. Ortiz claimed that in spite of assurances that he would be doing supervisory work, he ended up doing manual labor. The plaintiff is seeking class action status.
California’s employee-friendly labor laws could give the case a better chance of success. Amazon will have to prove that more than half a person’s job involved managerial work.
Coming Up
• The Federal Reserve is expected to raise its benchmark interest rate this week after a two-day meeting. Economists expect at least two more rate increases this year.
The news conference after the meeting will be closely watched to see if Janet L. Yellen, the Fed chairwoman, will discuss plans to reduce the central bank’s investment holdings, a final stage in unwinding its postcrisis economic stimulus program.
Follow Amie Tsang on Twitter @amietsang.
Explore Our Business Coverage
Dive deeper into the people, issues and trends shaping the world of business.
A Billionaire Online Warrior: Bill Ackman, an obstinate hedge-funder who loves a public crusade, has used X to push himself into a new realm of celebrity.
Cancel Smartphones: The N.Y.U. professor Jonathan Haidt became a favorite in Silicon Valley for his work on what he called the “coddling” of young people. Now, he has an idea for fixing Gen Z.
Landline Pride: Traditional phones may seem like relics in the iPhone era, but a recent AT&T cellular service outage had some landline lovers extolling their virtues.
C.E.O. Dreams: Fresh business school graduates are raising “search funds” from willing investors to buy companies they can lead.
Nelson Peltz Wants Respect: The longtime corporate agitator feels misunderstood. Maybe his fight with Disney could change that.
The Palm Oil Supply Chain: An E.U. ban on imports linked to deforestation has been hailed as a “gold standard” in climate policy. Southeast Asian countries say it threatens livelihoods.
Advertisement