Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick severs ties with ride-services firm; sells all his shares to focus on industrial kitchens

When Kalanick resigned in the summer of 2017, the company had been through a bruising six months during which employees accused the former CEO of fostering a toxic work culture that encouraged sexual harassment and bullying San Francisco: Travis Kalanick, the pugnacious co-founder of Uber, has severed his last ties with the ride-services company, resigning from the board and selling all his shares as he turns his focus to a new venture creating “ghost kitchens” for food delivery services. Kalanick’s bellicose style turned Uber into the world’s largest ride-services company, revolutionised the taxi industry and challenged transportation regulations worldwide. “Very few entrepreneurs have built something as profound as Travis Kalanick did with Uber,” Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement, crediting Kalanick’s “vision and tenacity.” But his brashness was also blamed for a string of scandals and complaints about his leadership, resulting in a shareholder revolt to push him out. Kalanick gave up voting control of the company in October 2017 when Uber’s board of directors adopted a series of measures to shore up corporate governance, including a one vote per share policy.