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Uber CEO Travis Kalanick took to Twitter today to address the latest public-relations debacle to confront the transportation company. After an Uber vice president mused about hiring opposition researchers to dig up defamatory information about journalists who criticized the company, Kalanick said the comments showed "a lack of humanity." Buzzfeed broke news of the comments last night after attending the dinner party where the remarks were made. "Emil's comments at the recent dinner party were terrible and do not represent the company," Kalanick said, referring to Emil Michael, Uber's senior vice president of business. "His remarks showed a lack of leadership, a lack of humanity, and a departure from our values and ideals."
Kalanick went on to say that the company is trying to show "that we are principled and mean well," and that "until Emil's comments we felt we were making positive steps along those lines." But the notoriously combative Kalanick stopped short of apologizing for Michael's behavior, or for saying that Michael would be disciplined. He also avoided mentioning Pando editor-in-chief Sarah Lacy, whose recent criticism of Uber apparently spurred Michael to muse that the company could look into "your personal lives, your families." The Verge has reached out to Uber for additional comment and will update this post if we hear back.
Update, 3:21 p.m.: After an initial round of stories mentioned that Kalanick had not apologized in his post or mentioned Lacy, he tweeted an apology to her.
We've added Kalanick's full comments below.
1/ Emil's comments at the recent dinner party were terrible and do not represent the company.
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 2/ His remarks showed a lack of leadership, a lack of humanity, and a departure from our values and ideals
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 3/ His duties here at Uber do not involve communications strategy or plans and are not representative in any way of the company approach
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 4/ Instead, we should lead by inspiring our riders, our drivers and the public at large.
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 5/ We should tell the stories of progress and appeal to people’s hearts and minds
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 6/ We must be open and vulnerable enough to show people the positive principles that are the core of Uber’s culture
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 7/ We must tell the stories of progress Uber has brought to cities and show the our constituents that we are principled and mean well
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 8/ The burden is on us to show that, and until Emil’s comments we felt we were making positive steps along those lines
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 9/ But I will personally commit to our riders, partners and the public that we are up to the challenge
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 10/ We are up to the challenge to show that Uber is and will continue to be a positive member of the community
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 11/ And furthermore, I will do everything in my power towards the goal of earning that trust.
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 12/ I believe that folks who make mistakes can learn from them – myself included.
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 13/ and that also goes for Emil ..
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 13/ and last, I want to apologize to @sarahcuda
— travis kalanick (@travisk) November 18, 2014 
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