Editorial
Uber Files, A Shocking Leak
The recently published ‘Uber Files,’ the leaked document by the former UBER Lobbyist Mark MacGann shockingly reveals how Uber won access to prominent world leaders, deceived investigators and exploited violence against its drivers in battle for global supremacy. The ride-hailing tech giant is in close touch with several politicians across the globe, leaked messages and email reveal. The Guardian shared the Uber Files documents with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a nonprofit newsroom and network of journalists based in Washington, D.C., and with other media organizations, to facilitate an international investigation.
The Uber Files project shows how ride-hailing mammoth Uber stormed into markets around the world, how it used stealth technology and evasive practices to thwart regulators and law enforcement in at least six countries and how it deployed a group of lobbyists to convince prominent world leaders to influence legislation and help it avoid taxes.
The leak comprises of sensitive texts, emails, invoices, briefing notes, presentations and other documents exchanged by top Uber executives, government bureaucrats and world leaders in nearly 30 countries. It provides an unprecedented look into the ways Uber defied taxi laws and overturned workers’ rights in several countries.
The investigation of the ICIJ found that the Uber held undisclosed meetings with politicians to ask for favours, including dropping probes and changing policies on workers’ rights; that the San Francisco based company used Russian oligarchs as communication channel to the Kremlin; and that it discussed the public relations benefits of violence against its drivers as it engaged in international power struggles with taxi drivers and legislators opposed to its expansion.
As Uber fought to expand its operations around the globe, it saved millions of dollars in taxes by routing profits through Bermuda and other offshore jurisdictions. The confidential documents, leaked to The Guardian newspaper, show that Uber sought to deflect attention from its tax liabilities by helping authorities collect taxes from its drivers.
By
Editor-in-Chief