Uber’s head of public policy and communications, Rachel Whetstone, has quit the troubled cab-hire app less than two years after it poached her from Google.
Her departure comes after a string of scandals for Uber, ignited by a tell-all blogpost from a former employee alleging numerous sexual harassment incidents.
The company responded by setting up an “urgent investigation” into the claims, but could not stop the tide of bad press: a few weeks later, chief executive, Travis Kalanick, was caught on video in a fiery argument with one of his own drivers over exploitation; one of his former partners told of a trip with senior employees to a Korean “escort/karaoke bar”; and other employees revealed how the company’s “hustle-oriented” culture became a black mark when they looked for work elsewhere.
In the midst of the crisis, Uber’s president Jeff Jones also quit, explicitly blaming the company’s corporate culture. “The beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber,” he said at the time, “and I can no longer continue as president of the ride-sharing business.”
British Whetstone, who in 2003 was appointed Michael Howard’s chief of staff when he became Conservative leader , and is a friend of both David Cameron and George Osborne, also found herself at the centre of a more localised storm following allegations that she used her contacts to secure an advantageous deal for Uber in London. In March, the Daily Mail claimed that Cameron had personally intervened on Uber’s behalf, successfully lobbying then-London mayor Boris Johnson against curbs for Uber.
She will be succeeded by Jill Hazelbaker, who worked for her at both Uber and Google. In a statement Whetstone said: “I am incredibly proud of the team that we’ve built – and that just as when I left Google, a strong and brilliant woman will be taking my place. I joined Uber because I love the product – and that love is as strong today as it was when I booked my very first ride six years ago.”
In an email to staff, the BBC reported Kalanick wrote: “I am looking forward to having her as an adviser for years to come … with many more long hikes along the Skyline Trail,” attaching a picture of himself and Whetstone on a recent hiking trip.
