Do we like them?

Do we like Travis Kalanick?

Our score: 4 out of 10. No harmful words about LGBTQ+ people or the planet turned up, but a bruising workplace record and thin verified good keep him mid-table.

Travis Kalanick co-founded Uber and ran it as the brash, win-at-all-costs boss until June 2017. That month five major investors sent a letter demanding he go, and he stepped aside. His own line was that he accepted the request so Uber could get back to building rather than another fight.

The fall was months in the making. A former engineer's blog post alleged sexual harassment and discrimination at Uber, an outside law firm reviewed the culture, and 20 staff were fired in the fallout. There was also a leaked video of Kalanick arguing with a driver, plus reports of the Greyball tool that dodged regulators. It all painted a fraternity-house company with him at the top.

On the harm check, the record is thinner than you might fear. In 2017 he quit Trump's business council over the immigration order, writing that it was “hurting many people in communities all across America”. We found no statements from him on trans people, LGBTQ+ rights or climate. The Uber Files leak in 2022 is the shadow: it reported he wrote that violence helps success and asked staff to hit a data “kill switch” during a raid. His spokesperson called the violence claim completely false and said such protocols are standard practice.

The other live issue is CloudKitchens. A 2024 Los Angeles lawsuit by a former salesperson names Kalanick and alleges sex discrimination, a hostile work environment and wrongful termination. The company disputes all of it, saying an internal review found no merit. We couldn't find a ruling or settlement, so it's alleged and unresolved.

Now he's back. In March 2026 he unveiled Atoms, a robotics firm for food, mining and transport, after eight years in stealth, and said he was close to buying Pronto, founded by his old Uber colleague Anthony Levandowski. By September the FT reported Uber had put in $100m and that Levandowski is leading robotaxi work, which Atoms denies. It is a very 2016 reunion.

The good stuff is honestly thin in what we could verify. He pulled out of the Trump council and told staff Uber would fight for immigrants' rights, which counts, and he says he builds a culture for people who want to build rather than be famous. We found no confirmed charity gifts in the reporting we read.