“Uber Files”: lobbyist Mark MacGann announces that he is the whistleblower

Published on: 07/12/2022 – 03:49 Mark MacGann, who between 2014 and 2016 led Uber’s lobbying efforts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, declared in The Guardian newspaper on Monday to be the whistleblower behind the “Uber Files”. Lobbyist Mark MacGann declared in The Guardian to be the whistleblower on Uber’s practices and the one who provided thousands of compromising documents on the American company to the British daily.Mark MacGann, who led between 2014 and 2016 the The ride-hailing platform’s lobbying efforts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East decided to speak out because he believes Uber has broken the law in dozens of countries and misled people about the benefits of the ride-hailing model. the company. Aged 52, he admits having his share of responsibility in the facts he denounces today: “I was the one who spoke to governments, pushed (the Uber model) in the media, the one who which told people that they should change the rules because the drivers were going to benefit from it and that people were going to have a lot of economic opportunities”, he says in an interview with the Guardian. “A lie” When the evolution of the company showed that “we had s sold a lie, how can you have a clear conscience if you don’t speak out against the way people are treated today?”, he adds. Uber, which has become the symbol of the “gig economy” – or gig economy spun off from internet consumer service platforms – finds itself thrust into its tumultuous past since Sunday following a wide-ranging investigation by journalists accusing the company of ‘breaking the law’ and using methods brutal to win despite the reluctance of politicians and taxi companies. The Guardian has shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) some 124,000 documents, dated from 2013 to 2017, including emails and messages from leaders from Uber at the time, as well as presentations, notes and invoices. They highlight certain practices of Uber during these years of rapid expansion but also of confrontations, from Paris to Johannesburg. Le Monde was particularly interested in the links between American society and Emmanuel Macron at the time when he was Minister of Economy (2014-2016). Some practices intended to help Uber consolidate its positions in France are pointed out, such as suggesting that the company present “turnkey” amendments to deputies. The history of the Uber platform, created in 2010 , has been peppered with scandals of harassment, hacking, industrial espionage and a standoff with the law. Uber says it has changed since the 2017 ouster of former boss and co-founder Travis Kalanick, who created a largely toxic corporate culture. The latter’s spokesperson on Sunday refuted all the newspapers’ accusations, including that of obstruction of justice.”Anti-democratic” The Irish-born lobbyist says the ease with which Uber penetrated the highest echelons of power in countries like the United Kingdom, France or Russia was “intoxicating” but also “deeply unjust” and “anti-democratic”. The company questioned the “credibility” of Mark MacGann . “We understand that Mark has personal regrets over his years of loyalty to the former management team but he is not in a position to speak credibly about Uber today,” she responded in an email. sent to AFP. A spokesperson points out that the lobbyist, after having described Uber as “a company of his generation”, found himself in conflict with the company in particular “to collect a bonus which he considered himself from”. “This complaint recently ended and he received a payment of 585,000 euros”, adds Uber, noting that “Mark felt obliged to sound the alarm after cashing his check”.Mark MacGann acknowledges personal grievances with his former employer. In addition to the dispute over his emoluments, he accuses Uber under the direction of Travis Kalanick of having adopted confrontational strategies with the taxi industry which have exposed him personally, including in France and Spain. death threats and Uber provided him with a bodyguard at the time, he told the Guardian. His experience at Uber took a toll on his mental health and he says it helped trigger post-traumatic stress disorder in him.With AFP