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Uber CEO Travis Kalanick admits he ‘must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up’

Kalanick responded to a video that surfaced today of him yelling at an Uber driver.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Wang K'aichicn / Getty

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has issued yet another apology, this time for yelling at an Uber driver during a conversation about the status of the ride-hail company’s premium UberBlack service.

In a staff email, which the company also published on its blog, Kalanick wrote that he needs to “grow up.”

“This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it,” he wrote.

The video, which you can watch and read the transcript of here, shows Kalanick getting angry at the driver, Fawzi Kamel, who complained about the company decreasing prices for its UberBlack service. Kalanick claimed that wasn’t true.

Kamel also says that he lost $97,000 from leasing (or otherwise purchasing) a car that meets the high standards of the company’s premium service.

Shortly after that, Kalanick exploded and said, “You know what, some people don't like to take responsibility for their own shit. They blame everything in their life on somebody else. Good luck!”

Here’s Kalanick’s full email to staff:

Team -

By now I'm sure you’ve seen the video where I treated an Uber driver disrespectfully. To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement. My job as your leader is to lead...and that starts with behaving in a way that makes us all proud. That is not what I did, and it cannot be explained away.

It’s clear this video is a reflection of me—and the criticism we’ve received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up. This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it.

I want to profoundly apologize to Fawzi, as well as the driver and rider community, and to the Uber team.

Travis


This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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