Under-pressure Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick quits

Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick had already been on indefinite leave. Picture: Money Sharma/AFP/Getty Images

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Travis Kalanick has resigned as chief executive of taxi-hailing firm Uber following a series of scandals.

Kalanick, who helped found the company in 2009, is reported to have quit following shareholder unrest over his leadership.

Uber has been dogged by questions over its working culture, including sexual harassment, allegations of trade secrets theft and an investigation into efforts to mislead government regulators.

• READ MORE: Taxi app Uber launches in Edinburgh

Heavyweight investors – Benchmark, First Round Capital, Lowercase Capital, Menlo Ventures and Fidelity Investments wrote a letter titled “Moving Uber Forward”, demanding Kalanick steps down, according to The New York Times.

As well as Kalanick’s immediate resignation, they demanded the board appoints more “truly independent directors” and that Uber hires an experienced finance chief.

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