Uber, that most ethical of ride-hailing companies, is in hot water once again. This time it isn't for slashing drivers' pay so low they can barely survive or having an institutionalized culture of sexism — I'm sure its PR department only wishes it could throw out the canned lines it has prepared for such situations. No, this time it's thanks to CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who chose to do his absolute best to dismiss the gravity of the execution and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, to avoid angering the Saudi government and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman — you might know him by his initials, “MbS” — who have invested billions in the company.
In an interview with Axios on HBO, Khosrowshahi called Khashoggi's brutal, premeditated murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul — which the Saudi state actually tried to cover up by sending out someone of a similar build wearing his clothes — a “mistake,” akin to an Uber autonomous test vehicle running down a pedestrian. In fact, he went further, saying that “people make mistakes, it doesn't mean that they can never be forgiven.” In other words, let's forgive the definitely-not-a-murderous-dictator “MbS,” who's reported to have directly ordered Khashoggi's assassination — otherwise Uber might not keep getting the Saudi money that funds their billion-dollar losses quarter after quarter.
Read Full Article »