14 DAY TRIAL // More than 200,000 people deleted their Uber accounts following the protest last week, marking quite a loss for the company.
Last week, following President Donald Trump’s travel ban for immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries, people gathered in front of airports to protest. Among the protesters was also the taxi driver union in New York, which said taxies would not take people to and from the JFK airport.
Uber was quick to make an announcement saying that they would turn off surge pricing in the area, which is something that’s usually applied in high-traffic areas such as airports. While the intention wasn’t all bad, the message was certainly twisted a bit, and people started boycotting the company. #DeleteUber started trending before the folks over at Uber could say anything in their defense, as people claimed they were trying to make a profit off the taxi protest.
A large dent
Some 200,000 people ended up deleting their apps and canceling their accounts, the New York Times reports. Considering that a few months back Uber had over 40 million monthly active users, this may seem like a drop in the bucket, but it’s an important one nonetheless because it sent a clear message.
This clear message pushed Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to quit his position on Donald Trump’s economic advisory council. Considering that many of Uber’s own employees are immigrants affected by the travel ban, it seemed like the natural thing to do. That, and the decision to compensate all drivers affected by the interdiction.
“There are many ways we will continue to advocate for just change on immigration, but staying on the council was going to get in the way of that,” Mr. Kalanick wrote in an email sent to employees in which he also explains that joining the group wasn’t meant to be seen as an endorsement of the President or his agenda, but rather a way to reach out to him on several topics.