
Travis Kalanick Exercises Right to Appoint Two Uber Directors - dcgudeman
https://www.wsj.com/articles/travis-kalanick-exercises-right-to-appoint-two-uber-directors-1506729037
======
everdev
Why is this a "surprise move" by Travis? It sounds like he was granted this
power and now people are shocked he used it?

~~~
brians
He’s a young man with a future to think about. Using all the powers you have
can offend some people, some of whom are in a position to help or hinder your
future efforts for decades to come.

If this works, it’ll be Jobsian brilliance. If, as more likely, not—then
expect his life to get harder.

~~~
redm
I worked with Travis in 2002 and he didn't get where he is by not offending
people. He plays hard all the time.

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kartD
Ursula Burns seems like a good choice, John Thain
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Thain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Thain))
not so much...

~~~
Fricken
I wasn't too familiar with Ursula Burns, so I just watched a Charlie Rose
interview with her. I like her:

[https://charlierose.com/videos/29786](https://charlierose.com/videos/29786)

~~~
cft
I think last time I saw a Xerox product was about 2009, around the time she
became the CEO.

~~~
rockinghigh
They are still in the printer and scanner business. $10B of revenue last year.

~~~
KGIII
Printing is not cheap. I haven't seen business costs associated with printing
since probably 15 years ago, so this is out of date. We used to lease most of
our equipment from the same company that did our supplies and repairs, they'd
also upgrade us on a regular basis.

When I last saw the numbers, our lease was right about the $12,000 a month
mark. At the time, that was something I noticed because it was more than I
made per month - and I owned the company.

I suspect the prices haven't gone down much. Granted, we printed a lot - but I
suspect Xerox is going to be around for quite a while longer.

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peteretep
I find myself rooting for him like I rooted for Darth Vader.

~~~
JSONwebtoken
Travis is Darth Vader and Benchmark is Palpatine a.k.a "the Senate"

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harmlessposter
Anyone else tired of the constant media posturing by these plutocrats? How
will this meaningfully affect the company?

~~~
CydeWeys
It seems to be meaningfully affecting the company in a negative way. Look at
other big tech companies -- they all have aligned leadership and clear
missions. Uber is a chaotic mess in comparison. That certainly isn't helping
with the ability to attract talent. The engineers I know who worked at Uber
have already all left.

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SomeStupidPoint
So is the lawsuit about if Kalanick has the right to do so still pending?

[https://venturebeat.com/2017/08/10/uber-investor-
benchmark-s...](https://venturebeat.com/2017/08/10/uber-investor-benchmark-
sues-travis-kalanick-for-fraud/)

~~~
xyzzy_plugh
I believe it's in arbitration.

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freech
I wonder how much of all this is just lust for drama. What are they actually
fighting about?

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Flammy
Control. Control over an entity that theoretically is valued at lots of money.

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mathattack
Both are establishment investor-friendly choices.

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NelsonMinar
I have to wonder what Thain and Burns are thinking in this scenario.

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V-eHGsd_
fuck you travis. \- every uber employee

~~~
harmlessposter
If a scientific poll of Uber employees were taken today they would probably
elect him CEO. Only he can make their options valuable.

~~~
pjc50
Uber employees, or people who work for uber?

~~~
harmlessposter
Oh man, is there like, a big group of people for whom this distinction
matters? If so I am not prepared to explain. Are you able to explain this
difference in my place, pjc50?

~~~
wbillingsley
> Oh man, is there like, a big group of people for whom this distinction
> matters?

Um, given there's been multiple court cases about that, yes apparently there
is a big group of people for whom that distinction matters...

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eridius
Anyone have a non-paywalled link?

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striking
[http://facebook.com/l.php?u=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tra...](http://facebook.com/l.php?u=https://www.wsj.com/articles/travis-
kalanick-exercises-right-to-appoint-two-uber-directors-1506729037)

~~~
eridius
Huh, I actually already tried Facebook earlier and still hit the paywall. I
was on mobile then, desktop now. Does the Facebook redirect only skip the
paywall on desktop? (and if so, that's very strange)

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albeebe1
high stakes chess move right here

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bogomipz
John Thain the ex Merril Lynch CEO who spent 1.2 million dollars of company
money to remodel his office[1].

[1]
[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/business/27bank.html?mcubz...](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/business/27bank.html?mcubz=3)

~~~
oh_sigh
I bet it was really tastefully done though.

~~~
101carl
$35,000 for a ‘Commode on Legs’. I wonder what it looked like?

~~~
KGIII
Maybe it's salary and an accounting entry meant to indicate they treat their
underlings like fecal matter?

On a more serious note, the only toilets I know with legs are for
injured/disabled people who have issues with mobility, or they are temporary
affairs meant to be taken camping. None of those seems likely to cost tens of
thousands of dollars, even if they may be considered medical devices.

Here is one such example: [https://images-na.ssl-images-
amazon.com/images/I/712PPTaGQDL...](https://images-na.ssl-images-
amazon.com/images/I/712PPTaGQDL._SL1500_.jpg)

I can't actually see that having a price tag over a few hundred dollars. I
could see it costing up to a few hundred dollars, if it's medical equipment,
but only if it is somehow certified for certai weight ranges, durability
standards, and made of special materials meant to difficult for bacteria to
live on and easy to clean.

They do charge a lot for medical equipment, but not $35,000 for a toilet.

~~~
homero
When you're rich
[https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e6/12/c4/e612c486b4497b962faf9f31c...](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e6/12/c4/e612c486b4497b962faf9f31c1684232
--open-arms-pot.jpg)

~~~
KGIII
Somebody would have to empty it. Having someone handle my waste would bother
me. I suppose some folks would think that is a benefit. "Yay! I am making
poors deal with my poop!"

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happertiger
None of what you hear. Half of what you read.

The truth will not be found in the media channel. The media is rarely
reporting anymore. They are delivering.

~~~
V-eHGsd_
the saying is, "believe none of what you read and half of what you see"

~~~
KGIII
No, they had it right. Well, it is 'nothing.' It is from Poe, actually.

Here, have a citation: [https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/252780-believe-
nothing-you-...](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/252780-believe-nothing-you-
hear-and-only-one-half-that-you)

~~~
jacquesm
Parent to your comment is trying to prove grandparent to be true!

