How Uber sought to influence governments and dodge authorities |  Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. (Eric Piermont/AFP via Getty Images) | | | A new investigation into a trove of leaked internal documents offers an unprecedented look at Uber's aggressive lobbying efforts as it sought to expand around the world, deploying former Obama aides and courting Russian oligarchs as it looked to dodge government oversight. The Uber Files is based on more than 124,000 records obtained by the Guardian and shared with more than 40 news organizations, including The Washington Post, in a joint investigation coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Here are five key findings on how the company sought to curry favor with political leaders, and fend off official investigations into its conduct: | Uber courted Russia's rich and powerful — unsuccessfully | | The documents reveal that Uber wooed powerful Russian political and business leaders as it initially looked to expand in the market. That includes a slew of individuals who have since been sanctioned by the U.S. or Europe for their alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Uber "cultivated oligarchs and government officials at a time when the country faced growing international condemnation for seizing Crimea from Ukraine and stoking war in that country's east," my colleague Ian Duncan reports. But the company would ultimately pull out of the country, showing that "Uber's growth had limits," Ian wrote. "Current Uber management thinks Putin is reprehensible and disavows any previous association with him or those close to him," Uber spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said. | Uber exported hardball lobbying tactics to pressure politicians | | As Uber drivers faced a wave of attacks in Europe from taxi drivers concerned about losing their jobs, the company's executives saw a potential silver lining in the bloody skirmishes, my colleagues Aaron C. Davis, Rick Noack and Douglas MacMillan report. Uber's then-chief executive, Travis Kalanick, had urged a subordinate to launch a peaceful sit-in or march as a counterprotest in Paris, a major economic hub for the company. But when one executive voiced concern "about taxi violence against" Uber drivers, Kalanick fired back. "I think it's worth it," wrote Kalanick. "Violence guarantees success." The findings show that Uber "exported sophisticated American lobbying methods" and "leveraged violence against its drivers in its efforts to win sympathy from regulators," my colleagues wrote. "Mr. Kalanick never suggested that Uber should take advantage of violence at the expense of driver safety," Devon Spurgeon, a spokeswoman for Kalanick, said in a statement. | Former Obama aides helped Uber court global leaders | | As the ride-hailing giant sought to rapidly grow its empire overseas, several former aides to President Barack Obama were at the front lines of the lobbying effort. David Plouffe, who ran Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign, was chief among them. "A campaigner by trade, Plouffe became one of the central figures in Uber's global lobbying effort, using his experience to get the company access to leaders, officials and diplomats," The Guardian's Stephanie Kirchgaessner, Felicity Lawrence and Johana Bhuiyan report. "The files suggest that in some cases Uber tried to use him to gain access to public officials." Plouffe denied in a statement to The Guardian that any of the public officials he sought out while at Uber were responsive due to his prior work under Obama. | Ride-hailing giant had major access to government officials | | The investigation offers a rare look into the high-level access the tech giant enjoyed as it sought to grow globally. "In all, the new records reveal more than 100 meetings between Uber executives and public officials from 2014 to 2016, including 12 with representatives of the European Commission that haven't been publicly disclosed," ICIJ's Sydney P. Freedberg, Nicole Sadek, Brenda Medina, Agustin Armendariz and Karrie Kehoe report. Those meetings reflect only a fraction of the company's bid for influence, however. "To spread its message, Uber and an advisory firm compiled lists of more than 1,850 'stakeholders' — sitting and former public officials, think tanks and citizens groups — it hoped to influence in 29 countries and the European Union" according to ICIJ. | Uber used covert tech to thwart government probes | | The documents show how Uber used its technological prowess to gain a covert edge over authorities investigating the company's practices. The findings go "well past what has been known about its efforts to trip up regulators, government inspectors and police," my colleagues Faiz Siddiqui and Joseph Menn report. In one case, Kalanick ordered computer systems in the company's Amsterdam office to be cut off from Uber's internal network, making data inaccessible to authorities as they raided the firm. "We have not and will not make excuses for past behavior that is clearly not in line with our present values," Hazelbaker said in response. Spurgeon, Kalanick's spokeswoman, said in a statement to The Post that Uber's expansion efforts were led by more than 100 people in dozens of countries. | | |  | Our top tabs | | Twitter prepares to sue Elon Musk over $44 billion deal |  Twitter could file its suit against Musk as early as this week (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg News) | | | The legal battle could catalyze a turbulent period for the social media company, which wants to enforce the terms of Musk's $44 billion deal to take the company private, Cat Zakrzewski, Naomi Nix and Joseph Menn report. "Even if Twitter does prevail in recovering the deal or recouping a $1 billion breakup fee, a court battle invites new challenges," my colleagues write. "Twitter could be forced to make key business metrics public, inviting questions from Wall Street about the overall health of the company, which turned its first profit in 2018 amid a major financial retooling." Twitter wants to file its lawsuit in Delaware early this week, my colleagues David J. Lynch and Elizabeth Dwoskin report. The company has hired law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, they report. The development was first reported by Bloomberg. | In post-Roe executive order, Biden directs officials to look at online practices and patient protections |  President Biden's order comes amid increased attention on reproductive apps and online services (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg) | | | Biden's Friday executive order encourages Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan to consider ways to "protect consumers' privacy when seeking information about and provision of reproductive health-care services." It also says that some officials should "consider options to address deceptive or fraudulent practices related to reproductive health-care services, including online, and to protect access to accurate information." | - Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra will consider actions to better protect patient information under the HIPAA federal privacy law, the executive order says.
| | The executive order comes amid increased scrutiny of the privacy of health-care apps and services in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade. Some abortion rights advocates fear states could move to prosecute patients, although state bans on abortion so far only target abortion providers. The issue has also been getting attention on Capitol Hill. The House Oversight and Reform Committee last week announced that it launched an investigation into the privacy of reproductive data and apps. | Chips bill will be at top of agenda as lawmakers return to work |  Biden administration officials plan to give a classified, all-senators briefing this week (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg) | | | Lawmakers have just three weeks to reach an agreement on a China bill packed with semiconductor subsidies before they turn their attention to campaigning in primary elections, the Wall Street Journal's Natalie Andrews and Richard Rubin report. For months, lawmakers have worked on negotiating how a final bill would look. But Sen. Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, has threatened to withhold Republican support from the bill if Democrats continue to work on a spending package. "In recent weeks, several chip manufacturers have announced they would reconsider plans to build in the U.S. if Congress didn't act soon," Andrews and Rubin write. "An all-senators classified briefing by Biden administration officials is planned for Wednesday to emphasize the national security implications, said several aides. Efforts are underway to put together a similar briefing for the House, said a person familiar with the matter." | | |  | Rant and rave | | | Former Twitter executives and current Twitter users weighed in on the drama surrounding the company and Elon Musk. Twitter co-founder Ev Williams, who is a former chief executive and chairman of the company: | | Our colleague Will Oremus: | | Entrepreneur and software engineer Tracy Chou: | | |  | Agency scanner | | | |  | Competition watch | | | |  | Workforce report | | | |  | Inside the industry | | | |  | Trending | | | |  | Daybook | | - The Atlantic Council hosts an event on new U.K. data protection rules on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
- Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger discusses semiconductor manufacturing and government support at a Washington Post Live event on Tuesday at noon.
- Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su discusses technology and the future of work at a Washington Post Live event on Thursday at noon.
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