Uber’s foray into India may have been illegal according to a text sent by the company’s former global communications head, Nairi Hourdajian, an investigative report by the ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists) revealed. The text was sent at a time when the Indian government was trying to shut down the ride-hailing service’s operations, the report added. Why it matters: The findings of the investigation are a sobering reminder of how Uber exploited regulatory loopholes in its quest to attain dominance across the world. The report also claimed that the company leaned heavily on its relationships with public officials in order to obtain favourable business outcomes. How did the findings come to light: The Guardian, a newspaper based in the United Kingdom, was able to access a leak which contained records of emails, text messages, company presentations and other documents from 2013 to 2017. The newspaper then shared the Uber files with the ICIJ and 42 other media partners. Lowdown on some of the other findings: Here are some of the findings from the report— The company often entered various countries without requisite government approvals and later used the policy of recruiting former public officials who would help it appeal to public officials to drop probes, change policies on workers’ rights, draft new taxi laws and relax background checks on drivers. The entry triggered violent protests against the company by traditional cab drivers who saw a threat to their livelihoods. Company executives sought to take advantage of the violence for their benefit.…
