Uber, a ride-hailing startup company, has welcomed the newest and first woman member of their board of directors, Arianna Huffington.
"Arianna embodies the type of optimistic leadership we need as Uber continues to grow," Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said in a blog post.
Huffington is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post and is the woman behind a recently authored and published best-selling book about sleep
Kalanick revealed that Huffington has been supportive of Uber's mission that is to provide a "transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere for everyone."
Huffington's addition to Uber's board of directors is a result of the company's effort to address passenger safety.
Uber, which is operating now in 412 cities around the globe, has received complaints about sexual harassment. For instance, in January of last year, a woman from New Delhi claimed she was sexually assaulted by an Uber Driver. The woman, who filed a case against Uber, said the company has failed to ensure the protection of female passengers. The ride-hailing company, earlier this month, has settled another lawsuit by the counties of Los Angeles and San Francisco regarding customer safety. The company has agreed to pay as much as $25 million.
Huffington's addition to the board has not been received with arms wide open, especially by the media watchers. For some, this would taint bias with regard to Huffington Post's coverage of Uber as this clearly falls under conflicts of interest. The Huffington Post has not released any statement.
However, for Kalanick, Huffington "embodies the type of optimistic leadership we need as Uber continues to grow. Her guidance has been invaluable to me personally over the years, and I know that in this new role she'll help take Uber to the next level," hopefully, without having to compromise the quality and dignity Huffington Post has built and maintained all throughout the years.
Other members of the board of directors include Bill Gurley of Benchmark and David Plouffe, Uber's former policy and communications chief.
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