Uber CEO Travis Kalanick took to Twitter on Tuesday to apologize for remarks made by an executive who suggested digging up dirt on journalists who write unflattering articles about the ride-sharing company. On Monday, Buzzfeed reported that Emil Michael, Uber's senior vice president for business, suggested at a private dinner that the company spend "a million dollars" to hire opposition researchers to look into the personal lives and families of journalists. His anger was particularly aimed at Sarah Lacy, editor of tech news site Pando Daily. The day after the story broke, Kalanick responded to the controversy with a string of more than a dozen tweets, including:
Despite characterizing Michael's remarks as "terrible," Kalanick apparently stopped short of firing him. Lately, Uber has faced criticism from the taxicab industry and local governments for not having to abide by the same regulations and insurance requirements as licensed cabs do. Kalanick looked to build goodwill with his 10th tweet: "We are up to the challenge to show that Uber is and will continue to be a positive member of the community."
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