Uber started trending worldwide on social media this weekend, but the company probably isn’t too thrilled about it.
#DeleteUber spread across the internet amid President Donald Trump’s 90-day ban on U.S. immigration by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries that has already seen backlash from the tech industry.
The hashtag picked up steam after Uber’s NYC Twitter account tweeted this while people were protesting the ban at the JFK airport, as two Iraqi men were detained despite having visas that would ordinarily allow them to enter the country.
https://twitter.com/Uber_NYC/status/825502908926066688
This sparked some reaction on Twitter, given that a taxi advocacy group joined the protest and some taxi drivers temporarily halted service:
https://twitter.com/EricRMurphy/status/825538075149336576
https://twitter.com/Bro_Pair/status/825518408682860544
Uber later followed up and said the tweet was “not meant to break strike.”
https://twitter.com/Uber_NYC/status/825577611816468481
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has taken criticism lately in regard to Trump. Along with other leaders like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, Kalanick is on Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum.
That caused some backlash with employees at Uber, and Kalanick responded by saying “we’ll partner with anyone in the world as long they’re about making transportation in cities better.”
In the letter to employees shared by Uber this weekend, Kalanick said he will talk to Trump about the immigration ban and support employees affected by the decision.
“While every government has their own immigration controls, allowing people from all around the world to come here and make America their home has largely been the U.S.’s policy since its founding,” he wrote. “That means this ban will impact many innocent people—an issue that I will raise this coming Friday when I go to Washington for President Trump’s first business advisory group meeting.”
Update: Uber posted an email Kalanick sent to drivers on Sunday afternoon as a follow-up to the post above. Uber will provide legal support for drivers and compensate them for lost earnings; the company is also creating a $3 million legal defense fund.
But damage has certainly already been done:
https://twitter.com/shannoncoulter/status/825570820957233152
https://twitter.com/fawfulfan/status/825712825611988993
Lyft, meanwhile, said it would donate $1 million to ACLU “to defend our constitution.” From co-founder Logan Green:
https://twitter.com/logangreen/status/825506221033525249
https://twitter.com/logangreen/status/825506556137533440
https://twitter.com/Bro_Pair/status/825774915672502275
https://twitter.com/logangreen/status/825756698832834560
Some people said they were ditching Uber and only using Lyft:
https://twitter.com/therealezway/status/825733651535110146
https://twitter.com/AaliyahNevaeh7/status/825768114239463424
Several tech executives — including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai — responded negatively to Trump’s move to ban those from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Libya from entering the U.S. for 90 days.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly reportedly allows valid visa holders who have landed in the country to remain, impacting an estimated 100 to 200 people detained at U.S. airports.
