Uber CEO to Leave Trump Council After Intense Criticism

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will resign from President Donald Trump’s business advisory council, the company confirmed Thursday, after the executive faced intense public pressure to sever his ties to the administration.

“Earlier today I spoke briefly with the President about the immigration executive order and its issues for our community,” Kalanick wrote in a letter to Uber employees, a copy of which was obtained by The Mercury News. “I also let him know that I would not be able to participate on his economic council. Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the President or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that.”

The move comes the day before Kalanick and other tech executives were set to meet with Trump, and it follows a storm of backlash from Uber users upset by Trump’s Friday immigration order. A flood of users deleted their Uber accounts over the weekend as the #DeleteUber hashtag went viral on social media, and nationwide protests were planned for Thursday in an attempt to force Kalanick to step down from the council.