Uber hopes its new chief executive can restore its reputation, which was tarnished by founder and former-chief executive Travis Kalanickis. Marlene Awaad / Bloomberg
Uber hopes its new chief executive can restore its reputation, which was tarnished by founder and former-chief executive Travis Kalanickis. Marlene Awaad / Bloomberg
Uber hopes its new chief executive can restore its reputation, which was tarnished by founder and former-chief executive Travis Kalanickis. Marlene Awaad / Bloomberg
Uber hopes its new chief executive can restore its reputation, which was tarnished by founder and former-chief executive Travis Kalanickis. Marlene Awaad / Bloomberg

Uber hopes to evolve and escape uncolourful past with new chief


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The ride-sharing app Uber has been a pioneer in revolutionising the transport sector globally. It has disrupted conventional ways of doing business. But it has also been on a choppy road since its inception.

The embattled company is reported to have approached Dara Khosrowshahi, a prominent Iranian-American immigrant, currently the CEO of Expedia, to become its new chief executive.

That decision comes in the wake of scandals and litigation that have marred the reputation of the US$70 billion company and led to the removal of its founder Travis Kalanick.

Uber learnt the hard way that inclusiveness and diversity are necessary in today’s world. Sexism and racism have no place in the workplace.

Mr Kalanick, Uber’s outgoing CEO, also learnt the hard way, that his association with president Donald Trump, as part of a business advisory group, was not acceptable to customers who oppose immigration policies that discriminate, single out people according to their faith and promote racial profiling.

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Under pressure, Mr Kalanick quit Mr Trump’s council because the indignation of customers went viral; in today’s digital age, no business can ignore negative publicity – which in the case of Uber turned into a boycott of the company.

The takeaway from all of this is that America was built by immigrants. Silicon Valley would not exist were it not for immigrants. Beyond software engineers, possibly some of the most innovative globally, many of the top executives in the tech metropolis are foreigners.

Google’s CEO is from India, Alphabet's president (and Google co-founder) is from Russia, Tesla’s founder is from South Africa, the creator of eBay is from Iran, Yahoo’s co-founder is from Taiwan. These are just a few examples behind companies changing the world we live in.

It is worth noting that between 1995 and 2005, 25 per cent of high-tech companies founded in the US had at least one immigrant founder, according to Forbes. According to the US small business administration, an individual immigrant is about 10 per cent more likely to own a business than a non-immigrant. Immigrants were involved in founding a quarter of companies that went public between 1990 and 2005, according to the National Venture Capital Association. Moreover, a third of the companies that went public between 2006 and 2012 had at least one immigrant founder.

Uber’s job offer to Mr Khosrowshah, arguably a swipe to the alt-right movement, white supremacists and president Trump, is a step in the right direction.

Let it be a lesson to other companies. They would do well by embracing diversity, tolerance and meritocracy as cornerstones of doing business.

UAE tour of the Netherlands

UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match

Meydan card

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (PA) Group 1 US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.40pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) Group 2 $350,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m

TWISTERS

Director: Lee Isaac Chung

Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos

Rating: 2.5/5

Intercontinental Cup

Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19

Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association
Notable groups (UAE time)

Jordan Spieth, Si Woo Kim, Henrik Stenson (12.47pm)

Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen (12.58pm)

Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood (1.09pm)

Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, Zach Johnson (4.04pm)

Rickie Fowler, Paul Casey, Adam Scott (4.26pm)

Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy (5.48pm)

Zakat definitions

Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.

Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.

Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.

Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)