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Ryan Graves was Uber's first chief executive officer, leading the fledgling startup in 2010 during its crucial early days.
Hired personally by Travis Kalanick, Graves brought needed stability and leadership to Uber as it sought to establish itself.
Though his tenure was short, barely lasting a year before Kalanick took over as CEO, Graves succeeded in growing Uber's footprint, expanding its services across multiple cities and recruiting Uber's early employees.
However, Uber struggled with regulatory issues under Graves' leadership.
His laissez-faire approach allowed Uber to grow rapidly, but also landed the company in hot water as it ignored existing taxi and livery laws.
This permissive culture persisted under later leadership. Still, Graves provided a steady hand at a time when Uber's future was still uncertain. His successes building Uber's early footprint and team paved the way for the global giant Uber was to become.
Travis Kalanick, Uber's hard-charging co-founder, took over as chief executive in 2010, leading the company during a period of explosive global growth.
Under Kalanick's aggressive and often controversial leadership, Uber disrupted the ride-hailing industry and expanded its services into hundreds of cities across dozens of countries. Revenues skyrocketed—making Kalanick a paper billionaire.
However, Kalanick's win-at-all-costs approach also embroiled Uber in numerous scandals, regulatory battles, and accusations of unethical business practices.
His tenure was marked by lawsuits, regulatory pushback, and public outcry over Uber's tactics. Kalanick himself resigned in 2017 amidst accusations that he had fostered a company culture rife with gender discrimination and sexual harassment.
While Kalanick's relentless drive undoubtedly fueled Uber's massive expansion, his reckless management and ethical lapses left the company and its reputation battered by the time he left.
Uber began to chart a more responsible course under Kalanick's successor, Dara Khosrowshahi. But the effects of the Kalanick era continued to impact Uber for years to come.
His legacy is best summed up as a tale of stunning growth coupled with stunning missteps.
Dara Khosrowshahi took over as Uber's chief executive in 2017, brought in from Expedia to replace Travis Kalanick and reform Uber's controversial culture.
Khosrowshahi inherited a company marred by scandals and lawsuits, but set about steadily rebuilding Uber's reputation and business practices.
Under Khosrowshahi's more responsible leadership, Uber embarked on a major turnaround campaign.
He overhauled the company's cultural values, emphasizing ethics, diversity, and transparency.
Khosrowshahi also led Uber to go public in 2019, settling previous allegations, and continuing to expand Uber's services globally.
However, significant challenges remain.
Regulatory battles continue as Uber disrupts traditional transport sectors worldwide. And the company has yet to become solidly profitable, despite Khosrowshahi's efforts to stem previous overspending. Uber also had to enact major layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While work remains for Uber to reform its image and business practices, Khosrowshahi's steady guidance has helped move the company past the scandals of the Kalanick era.
Uber today stands on more ethical, if still controversial, footing due to his ongoing leadership.
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