Uber CEO caught on video arguing over fares with driver

CEO of leading taxi company Uber, Travis Kalanick has apologized in an e-mail sent to his staff for his rather disrespectful conversation with one of his drivers, Fawzi Kamel.

"You're raising the standards, and you're dropping the prices", says Kamel.

When the driver says he has lost almost $100,000 and tells Kalanick "I'm bankrupt because of you", the CEO fires back.

Kalanick goes on to say "some people ... blame everything in their life on somebody else". And on Tuesday, he issued a very public apology, saying in part "the criticism we've received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up". I don't know Mr. Kalanick - he could be a you-know-what - but this clip doesn't shock me.

In the video - recorded by the driver, Fawzi Kamel - CEO Travis Kalanick sits in the back between two women on Super Bowl Sunday. Uber had a chance to show people that hey, maybe our company isn't a bottomless barrel of incompetence, and it just. didn't. "These are both substantial pain points for drivers over the past few years that Uber has basically ignored".

The two also differed over the results of Uber's competition with Lyft. If Kalanick wants to keep his drivers happy, he may need to take some responsibility for his shit.

In the message to employees later, Kalanick wrote "To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement".

Brauer said he didn't think the bad publicity would substantially harm the company's business.

Uber launched an urgent investigation into its workplace company practices last week after a damning blog written by Susan Fowler, this alleged discrimination and sexual harassment that she suffered within the workplace.

At the end of the ride, after the two women have gotten off the vehicle, Kamel addresses Kalanick about Uber's dipping fares, upon which the exchange quickly devolves into a somewhat awkward but palpably tense back and forth.

Travis was seen being extremely rude and rebutted while talking to the driver stating that his ideas and strategies have helped in taking Uber to this height. I lost Dollars 97,000 because of you.

And the company has even faced some criticism from a key ally: the mayor of Pittsburgh, who has said the city is getting little in return for opening its streets to Uber's self-driving auto tests.

Uber names/blames me for account deletes, and has a different law firm -not Holders - investigating me. The company then had to ask Amit Singhal, its head of engineering, to resign after finding out that he, too, had faced a sexual-harassment allegation while working at Google.

Kalanick addressed the issue directly in an emotional meeting with 100 female engineers.

Under pressure, Kalanick in February stepped down from Donald Trump's Advisory Council after criticism that followed the US president's order banning travel to the USA from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Uber pricing has changed significantly since the app launched.