Mark MacGann, a former top Uber lobbyist, revealed himself on Monday as the source of the Uber Files leak, which is a joint media investigation that revealed how the ride-sharing app Uber won access to world leaders, deceived investigators and exploited violence against its drivers in the battle for global dominance.
A day after the investigative report divulged details about how Uber built a massive influence to gain global domination, MacGann on Monday came out as the whistleblower. He leaked thousands of compromising documents on Uber to the British newspaper The Guardian.
MacGann led Uber’s lobbying efforts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East between 2014 and 2016. As per the reports, he told the UK-based daily that he decided to speak out because he believed Uber broke the law in dozens of countries and misled people about the company’s business model.
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In an interview with The Guardian, the 52-year-old said: “I was the one talking to governments, I was the one pushing this with the media, I was the one telling people that they should change the rules because drivers were going to benefit and people were going to get so much economic opportunity.”
“When that turned out not to be the case — we had actually sold people a lie — how can you have a clear conscience if you don’t stand up and own your contribution to how people are being treated today?” he added.
The Uber Files
‘The Uber Files’ revealed how the company attracted world leaders to influence legislation and help it avoid taxes. The report highlights the company did ethically dubious acts, that are potentially illegal.
The investigation is based on 124,000 records of sensitive texts, emails, invoices, briefing notes, presentations and other documents exchanged by top Uber executives, government bureaucrats and world leaders in nearly 30 countries.
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The documents found that early in the company’s history, company officials leveraged sometimes violent backlash from the taxi industry against drivers to garner support and evaded regulatory authorities.
Meanwhile, Uber has denied all the accusations against it, including obstructing justice, saying it had changed since the departure of former boss Travis Kalanick, who was accused of creating a toxic workplace culture.
(With inputs from agencies)
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