Removal of CEO a perfect change towards stronger Uber

News of Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick resignation from his post as chief executive officer (CEO) on June 21 is a sign of changing times for the game-changing app, with analysts at Frost & Sullivan pegging this to be a chance for the group to regain strength.

On one end, shareholders are enthusiastic that Kalanick has finally stepped down from his leadership role at Uber as it signals a possible end to the current version of Uber that has been embroiled in drama over the past few years.

The drama reel includes several allegations of sexual harassment, sexist human resource practices, the covert use of law-enforcement-evading software, illegal obtainment of medical records of a user that was raped by an Uber driver, lawsuits by drivers, intellectual-property theft suits, and allegations of bullying tactics used to penetrate foreign markets and its local taxi industry.

The numerous issues found in Uber were said to have come from the company’s toxic culture.

In a statement released by market research company Frost and Sullivan, it highlighted that a particular incident cemented public perception of where that culture was coming from.

“The release of a leaked video, showing Kalanick berating an Uber driver who complained to him about pay, directly pointed fingers at the attitude and maturity of the former CEO,” said Frost & Sullivan associate director Animesh Kumar in a statement.

“The video spurred global commentary on the personal character and ethics of Kalanick and as a result forced the hand of Uber investors to request his resignation last week in order to quell the negative publicity.

“There is no denying the fact that Travis Kalanick is an asset and has been a driving force behind the success of Uber.

However at the same time, his personality, the work culture that developed under his leadership as well as the recent controversies has negatively impacted the image of the company.”

Thus, Animesh said Uber needs to change the image among the employees and drivers and has the perfect opportunity to do so.

“By bringing in leaders who are able to create a healthy work culture and are also growth-oriented, Uber would be able to put the controversies in the past and march ahead,” he opined.

Agreeing on his point, Kalanick himself expressed the move of his step down as a correct step for the company as he was quoted saying in statement obtained by The New York Times, “I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight.”

However, not everyone was convinced that the move was a right one as media outlets around the word reported on an alleged 1,000 strong signature petition to reinstate Kalanick being circulated amongst Uber employees.

Addressing this alleged call by Uber employees for Kalanick’s return, Animesh pointed out that Kalanick has not disappeared from Uber itself but has just taken a lesser direct role in its future growth.

“He will still own a major portion of the company and will remain as a board of director.

“Moreover, due to the structure, Kalanick and other co-founders have a high number of ‘super-voting shares’.

“So he has clearly not stepped away from Uber but has just stepped aside.” While some might find comfort in this, some stakeholders are also questioning the point of his resignation if Kalanick will continue to hold power in making decisions for the group.

To this, Animesh argues that Kalanick’s involvement in Uber’s future decisions and directions may not be detrimental at all as he has experienced immense success in penetrating and creating a foothold in hostile markets with high barrier of entries due to opposition from local taxi unions and industry regulators.

In addition, the potential presence of a changed and mature Travis Kalanick in the future could also significantly contribute to the emergence of a stronger Uber2.0 said Animesh.

Looking forward for Uber’s future, Animesh reports that the its first goal will most likely be to assembly a new leadership team to transform Uber into a new and improved Uber 2.0.

“Following an assessment by former US attorney general Eric Holder, Uber’s management and investors felt that there is a need of significant changes and with Kalanick’s resignation, Uber now needs to fill three significant positions in the top management – CEO, chief operating office and chief financial officer.”

Source: Borneo Post Online

Uber and Kalanick

Future of Uber Sans Kalanick

The news about the resignation of Travis Kalanick, the co-founder of Uber, from the position of CEO of the company has raised several questions regarding the future of the company.

Uber, a privately-held company, has a valuation of around USD 70 billion and is the world’s most valuable venture-funded tech start-up. However in recent times, it has attracted a lot of negative publicity. There have been several allegations including sexual harassment, sexist HR practices, covert use of law enforcement-evading software, illegal obtainment of medical records of a customer who was raped by an Uber driver in India, lawsuits by drivers and allegations of intellectual-property theft. The release of a leaked video, showing Kalanick berating an Uber driver, who complained to him about pay, directly pointed fingers at the attitude and maturity of the former CEO.

There is no denying the fact that Travis Kalanick is an asset and has been a driving force behind the success of Uber. However at the same time, his personality, the work culture that developed under his leadership as well as the recent controversies has negatively impacted the image of the company.

Following an assessment by former US attorney general Eric Holder, Uber’s management and investors felt that there is a need of significant changes. With Kalanick’s resignation, Uber now needs to fill three significant positions in the top management –CEO, COO and CFO. Uber needs to change the image among the employees and drivers and has the perfect opportunity to do so. By bringing in leaders who are able to create a healthy work culture and are also growth-oriented, Uber would be able to put the controversies in the past and march ahead.

But is Travis Kalanick completely out? The answer is NO. He will still own a major portion of the company and will remain a board of director. Moreover, due to the structure, Kalanick and other co-founders have a high number of ‘super-voting shares’. So he has clearly not stepped away from Uber but has just stepped aside.

His involvement in the decisions and directions may not be detrimental. He was immensely successful in penetrating and creating a foothold in markets, where Uber encountered relentless protests from local taxi unions and had to overcome hurdles presented by regulators. The presence of changed and mature Travis Kalanick could significantly contribute to the emergence of a stronger Uber 2.0

Animesh Kumar is Associate Director with Frost & Sullivan. He can be reached at animesh.kumar@frost.com

Asombroso....Amazing!!!

Only Tagore posed for my camera!!!

Collage Times

Trip to Goa (May 2017)

Presidents Club Award (2nd year in row) and Long Service Award

जाने दो

विदा की बेला में,
रुकने की बात करके,
फिर से मुझे जांच रहे हो?
बहुत दिन रहे हम साथ,
अब घर जाने दो!

देखो ये आंखें तुम्हारी,
छलकने को हैं,
मेरी राह में कोहरा छा जाएगा,
मैं तो स्वयं ही अवश, शिथिल हो रहीं हूँ....
फिर से मुझे कातर मत बनाओ,
पोंछ लो अपनी आँखें,
मुझे घर जाने दो!

बहुत कुछ कहना था अभी भी,
तुम्हें भी और मुझे भी,
पर अब सबकुछ यहीं पर खत्म करें,
की शेष रह जाए कुछ हिसाब,
तभी तो, हम फिर मिलेंगे!

प्यार से मिल लो एक बार,
और जाने दो,
बहुत दिन रहे हम साथ,
अब घर जाने दो!

मुझे जाने दो!

              - अम्मा

हां सच है, कहना तो बहुत कुछ था। तुमसे सुनना भी था। मिलेंगे तो ज़रूर हम कहीं। लेकिन वो एक बार प्यार से ना मिलना, एक बार तुम्हारा हाथ ना पकड़ना, एक बार....आखरी बार...तुम्हारा माथा ना चूमना....हमेशा खलेगा। हमेशा रुलाएगा। क्या सही था और क्या गलत, वो दोराहा तो बहुत पीछे छूट गया। अब सिर्फ तुम्हारी बातें, तुम्हारा प्यार याद है।

जब भी मुझे जाना हो, तो तुम आना और मेरी उंगली थाम के ले जाना। बहुत बातें करेंगे।

Off to Singapore....Once again in the big daddy (A380)

It is okay to look behind at the past. But do not look for answers...look for lessons. We all make mistakes, we all are humans. Just ensure that you do not commit the same mistakes again.

Try.

A man without principles that he is ready and willing to die for at any given moment is already dead and is of no use or consequence whatsoever.

Bye Malaysia, Hello India

Last 5+ years in Malaysia were great. Thank you Malaysia/Kuala Lumpur for treating us so well. And thank you B-9-6 Mont Kiara Pelangi, our address for the last 5 years. I have never stayed in one house for so long. Ananya grew up in the house/city/country and there are so many memories. It will always have a special place in our hearts.

Though Malaysia is a great place to live and we enjoyed our stay in the country, there is one problem with the place....it is not India and so, it is not home.

It took a while to find a way back to India. It was a long and difficult process. When we finally figured a way, we realized that there was an easier/simpler way, which was always there/available!!!

Nevertheless, I am back where I belong. INDIA. Though we (Roshni and I) have jumped right in the middle of the 'cash crunch', we are looking forward to every bit of it. The returning NRI in me does kick in from time to time. "So much pollution", "look how that bugger is driving..oh there is one more....wait...everyone is driving like that!!!" "Power cut!!!" But I am so happy to be back!!!

Pune will be our new home. Its a city that has always attracted me. I had an option to pick from Gurgaon, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Pune. It was an easy decision. A new city, a new adventure. Have some friends in the city and others are a visa-less travel away :)

#JeenaYahaanMarnaYahaan #India

Will miss you B-9-6

Father served in the army and I am working with fifth company. So moving houses is not new. You pack your memories and move to a new location. That's it. You cannot get too attached or too emotional.

However, it is different this time around. I have been in this house for over 5 years. Probably the longest that I have stayed in any house. But more importantly, this is the house in which Ananya has grown up. She was 4 months old when she came to this house. So many happy memories are attached.

We are moving to a different place. Today is the last day in this house. Well....I may have to come back one more time to formally hand over the house. But it is not easy. It feels like I am leaving behind a bit of Ananya. 

I will miss you B-9-6.

Manish Pandey: Worth Investing

Manish Pandey must be a worried man. He has been a prolific scorer in domestic cricket in past several seasons. He come up with some great knocks in previous seasons of IPL to knock on the door. When he got an opportunity, he scored a match-winning and face-saving century against Australia in Australia. Though he was ignored for a long time but he cashed upon the limited opportunities to make a mark. 

However, in the recently concluded 5-match one-day cricket series, he had a great opportunity to cement his place in the team. Suresh Raina was down with flu and that ensured a place for Pandey in the team in all 5 matches. May be Pandey knew that being a specialist batsman, he may not be preferred over Raina when Raina recovered from his illness. Probably he wanted to do something extraordinary to remain in the team. The truth past those 'may be' and 'probably' is that Pandey had a pretty poor series. Batting at No.5 is not easy but more than the scores, it was his shot selections that would be questioned. Compared to him, Kedar Jadhav came up with some good knocks and also played a good part with the ball. The ability to score quickly coupled with his part-time bowling and wicket-keeping skills give Jadhav a much better chance. 

India has not been playing too many ODIs and since Pandey is being considered only for ODIs, he would not get to play too many matches. In the next series, when KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar make a come back and if Raina is retained, the structure of the team would be completely different. Yuvraj Singh has also been playing well in the domestic cricket and may make a comeback. That would make it even more difficult for Pandey to find a place. 

It is worth investing in a team that is likely to play in the 2019 World Cup. Some cricketers may be too old, unfit or unsuitable for the conditions in UK. That must be kept in mind. India should identify suitable talent and give them a good run.

Hopefully, Pandey is in the scheme of things. If he is, someone should tell him that he would get X number of chances. Past captains have done that with players and it has boosted their confidence. Pandey is a match-winner and some patience is required - both by him and by the 5 wise men of Indian cricket. He should not be allowed to fade away. 

Hey Inner-Me,

I missed talking to you. I will do so in more detail sometime later but just wanted to tell you that a lot has been happening.

And yes, you know 'Teacher', don't you? And you know how guilty I have been feeling all these years? That has not changed as I still am sorry for what I did. 

BUT....it has been brought to my attention that the 'Teacher', whom I respect, has been mouthing lies against me. Not that I blame the person but the respect has reduced. And the person also lied to me about some things. 

When would I learn?

Anyways, Cheers!!!

"Diplomatic moves to isolate Pakistan"

This has been heard so often that it sounds nothing more than mere rhetoric. Of course, there is no harm in trying all that. However, Pakistan would not learn a lesson if a world leader snubs their PM (he, in any case, does not have any importance) or if Bangladesh boycotts the SAARC summit in Pakistan. It is time for some strong actions. 

If India (read government) wants to avoid full-fledged military action then find other ways to teach Pakistan a lesson. Hit them commercially. Ban direct or indirect exports to Pakistan. Put more taxes on multi-nationals who operate both in India as well as Pakistan and make them choose one market. It is okay to take a blow to deliver a knock-out punch. Throw away the Indus Water Treaty. Do something significant.

Yesterday, a minister made a statement that "our patience is running out". Well....you are not the only one.

#UriAttack

जाने से पहले कई सालों में,
एक तरह से तुम थी नहीं,
तो लगता ही नहीं की,
अब तुम हो नहीं,

उन बीते हुए सालों में,
तुम भले साथ थी नहीं,
लेकिन पता था की तुम हो,
तो लगता है की तुम हो, अब भी हो

बहुत कुछ कहा तुमसे और कुछ नहीं कह पाया। कही और अनकही किसी बात का आज मलाल नहीं है। बस आखरी के कुछ दिनों में एक बार हाथ न पकड़ पाने, एक बार 'bye' ना कर पाने का गम हमेशा रहेगा। हमेशा रुलायेगा। लगा नहीं था की तुम चली जाओगी। लगा था की फ़िर मिलेंगे हम। कुछ दिन रही तुम....शायद इंतज़ार किया तुमने। बाकी किसी भी बात का नहीं, क्योंकि हमको पता है की तुम समझी.....लेकिन उस इंतज़ार करवाने के लिए और हाथ ना पकड़ पाने के लिए हम सच में sorry हैं।

कई बार अकेले में तुमको पुकारा है। हो सके तो मिल लेना हमसे। हम तो खोजते हुए आएंगे ही।

Aaj kucch baahar hi nahi, andar bhi toot gaya. Hamesha ke liye.

Daraar to thhi. Dikhti bhale na ho, lekin thhi.

Aaj sab badal gaya.

Bitter Taste in the Mouth

Sometimes, one just loses the motivation. Isn't it? 

In my career, I have come across multiple working styles and dedication levels. Most people put in the minimum effort required. Out of those, most feel bad when increments and incentives are announced. In my opinion, they do not deserve to crib. Others, who master the art of licking asses, get good increments, incentives and promotions. That, even after putting in minimum effort. Not that, they are outstanding or they get things done smartly. They are just good lickers.

Then there are people, who are driven. Driven by the want to excel, driven by the recognition, driven by monetary benefits, driven by resume-value. The driver could be anything. These people put in a lot of smart as well as hardwork. Such people should be recognized and it is the job of their managers to keep such people motivated. Unfortunately, that does not happen most of the time. 

If you are subordinating and screwing your family time and health for your work, you hate it when your efforts are not recognized. There are some qualitative recognitions. "You are a perfectionist". "You are the best consultant that we have".  That is all good. But when it does not translate into something meaningful, you feel bad. You do not necessarily feel jealous with others who got better deals but you do feel bitter. That is exactly what I am going through. I am feeling bitter, I am feeling cheated and I am feel demotivated. I hope this is a passing phase. I do not like this phase as I seldom feel demotivated about work. I hope that I would be able to come out of this state of mind very soon. Till then, *&^%$#@

Why 'Stuart Little' Binny?

I like the look of India's test squad for the tour of West Indies. I agree with most of the selections, barring one. I fail to understand the repeated selection of Stuart Binny in the test squad. In West Indies, genuine pacers are required. 'So-Called-Allrounders', who are neither reliable batsmen nor a good wicket-taking option, are a luxury that the selectors should have avoided. Chief selector should have kept aside his personal biases, emotions etc while doing the all-important job.

I do understand that India lacks genuine allrounders, especially fast bowling ones. Hardik Pandya is not test material (not even one day material). Irfan Pathan is a spent force. Rishi Dhawan is not good enough as well. If the options for allrounders were limited, they should have gone ahead with a specialist bowler. Probably someone who added a new dimension to the bowling options. For example, Kuldeep Yadav, a chinaman bowler, could have been tried. He did not get too many opportunities in IPL 2016. However, he did impress in the few chances thag he got. There are several options which could have been better than Stuart Binny, S/O Chief Selector.

Disappointed but still wish each one of them the best of luck.

Happy Birthday Teacher

Kohli is not from this planet

Virat Kohli is a superhero. His record in his still short career is sufficient to make most batsmen jealous. And at present, he is in an exceptional for. 4 centuries in T20 format in the last few games is something that no other batsmen can boast of. His cover drives are majestic. The way he paces his innings and mixes control with timely aggression is the best part of him as a batsman.

He has matured a lot in past year or so. Not that I had an issue with his aggression in any case. His form, captaincy, temperament, positive attitude and hunger to win games must not be overlooked by the 5 wise men of Indian cricket. It is time to think about and start planning for 2019 World Cup and its the perfect time for Kohli to take over captaincy in all 3 formats. That doesn't 'necessarily' mean that MS Dhoni should be axed from the squad. If Dhoni makes himself available to play under Kohli, Kohli would be able to use Dhoni's experience in the transition phase. Having said that, it is equally important that the wicket-keeper, who would take Dhoni's place in the team for 2019 WC be given a decent run. To prepare for the WC, Kohli should get his team and soon.

Hate Such Arguments

Today, I received the following message from someone on Whatsapp;

"We may not be aware of the existence of this noble and great man, Kalyanasundaram honoured by US Govt. I feel equally ashamed that India Govt has conferred 'Bharat Ratna' on Sachin Tendulkar, who seeks and gets exemption of customs duty on a 'Ferrari' which he got free, who reportedly earns crores of rupees(in hundreds) every year.

Mr.Kalayanasundaram worked as a Librarian for 30 years. Every month in his 30 year experience (service), he donated his entire salary to help the needy. He worked as a server in a hotel to meet his needs. He donated even his pension amount of about ten lakh rupees to the needy.

He is the first person in the world to spend the entire earnings for a social cause. In recognition to his service, the American government honoured him with the ‘Man of the Millennium’ award. He received a sum of Rs 30 crores as part of this award which he distributed entirely for the needy as usual.

Moved by his passion to help others, Super Star Rajinikanth adopted him as his father. He still stays as a bachelor and dedicated his entire life for serving the society.

All our Politicians, Film stars, Business magnets, cricketers Press and we all Indians should be PROUD and also should be ashamed of ourselves. American Government has honored him but we Indians even don't know that such a personality exist amongst us.

Atleast have the courtesy to pass this on and on till the whole world comes to know about this Great Good Samaritan.

Hat's off Kalayanasundaram.. We Indians are extremely proud of you and proudly say "THIS HAPPENS ONLY IN INDIA"

While there is no denying the fact that Mr. Palam Kalyanasundaram has made great (infact unbelievable) contributions, I hate when such cases are presented in 'why that and why not this' manner. Its alright to highlight the accomplishments and contributions of someone but it does not mean we should trivialize the contribution of others. Kailash Satyarthi has won Nobel Peace Prize yet he has not been conferred with Bharat Ratna. There are several others. That does not mean that the contribution of Sachin Tendulkar should be trivialized. His contribution in his field is second to none and he truly deserves Bharat Ratna. 

Cheers

Ginger

HUM

Champion....Champion

Back Massage?

Asked my wife for a back massage....my fault :(

Facebook Lookback

10 Companies own almost EVERYTHING!!!

Haha

My Little Ballerina

All the women I love

Review: VR Box (Virtual Reality Headset)

Bought this new virtual reality headset. VR Box. This is a quite decent product, which gives some enjoyable experience without burning a hole in the pocket. I bought it for RM 70. Compared to similar products from Oculus and Samsung, it is quite reasonably priced. However, one must be careful while drawing such comparisons.

Oculus is probably the best-in-class and gives an exceptional immersive experience. Comparatively, VR Box is definitely not as immersive. But what more you can ask for RM 70?

You need a smartphone to enjoy VR Box and that is not an issue as who doesn't have a smart phone these days. I recommend a bluetooth headset and a bluetooth controller to make the experience more enjoyable and hassle-free.

One downside of the headset is that a long use gives motion sickness and nausea. I am not sure if this is an issue with this headset or do all Virtual Reality headset include this issue in the package.

Overall, a pretty decent gadget that is reasonably priced.

This is exactly how Ananya and I share the bed

Cheers

Short Review: Eye in the Sky

"Never tell a soldier that he does not know the cost of war". Great movie. It was like watching '12 Angry Men' but with a ticking bomb in the middle. Brilliantly shows what military personnel go through while making critical - life or death - decisions, where the 'best option'  is not always the 'morally correct' one.