It's been seven months since Travis Kalanick gave up the helm of Uber, but what did those last days or weeks look like for the disgraced CEO? Brad Stone, Senior Executive Editor for Technology at Bloomberg News and Author of "The Upstarts" joins The Hive to discuss the strange world of Travis Kalanick.
Stone describes an insider's account of when Kalanick was shown the video of himself yelling at an Uber driver. The source said Kalanick rolled around on the floor muttering "This is bad." Stone also explores what took the board so long to realize that Kalanick was the company's main problem.
So is Kalanick fiercely loyal or unbelievably stubborn? Why did it take so long for him to relinquish control? Stone says what he was most surprised about was Kalanick's decision-making towards the end of his time at Uber. The first few years were filled with good decisions that forced the company to expand. However, at the end, Kalanick's decision-making took a turn and was ultimetly his demise.
Naveen Jain, Co-Founder of Yat Labs, joins 'Cheddar Innovates' to discuss how a 'Yat' is changing the way people think about their online identities, and why artists like Questlove and G-Eazy are backing this idea.
Mike Proulx, VP and research director at Forrester, joined Cheddar to talk all about Disney's lackluster Q3 earnings after the company reported a slowdown in Disney+ subscriber growth. Proulx discussed a Forrester study that found 45 percent of U.S. adults subscribed to streaming services because of the pandemic but 26 percent had plans to cancel a service over the next two years. "We're always going to look at growth, and we also have to look at engagement," he said. "But both of those metrics come down to having either original or exclusive content that will offer value to the subscriber base."
Anthony Sassine, a senior investment strategist at KraneShares, joined Cheddar to discuss Rivian's historic public debut after the company achieved an $86 billion valuation — more than either Ford or GM. He said the big IPO was a great opportunity for the U.S. to position itself as a leader in the EV space after lagging behind Europe and China. "When you have certainty for growth for the next 10 to 15 years, investors are willing to pay more," he said. "So, this is a massive opportunity for the whole space."
The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Uber, alleging the ride-hailing company discriminates against customers with disabilities. The DOJ is arguing that its two-minute wait period before a cancellation fee is applied violates the Americans With Disabilities Act.
