Travis Kalanick to take leave of absence

Uber Technologies Inc’s Chief Executive Travis Kalanick told employees in an email on Tuesday that he will take time away from the company. His leave of absence follows a board meeting during which Uber’s board of directors discussed the possibility of Kalanick temporarily stepping away from the company.

According to Kalanick, “During this interim period, the leadership team, my directs, will be running the company. I will be available as needed for the most strategic decisions, but I will be empowering them to be bold and decisive in order to move the company forward swiftly. It’s hard to put a timeline on this – it may be shorter or longer than we might expect.”

According to the recommendations by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in his report on the investigation into Uber’s ethics and leadership troubles, including sexual harassment and discrimination, Kalanick is expected to take a diminished role once he returns.

Uber’s board of directors has voted to adopt all the report’s recommendations, which are being shared with employees and the public. It will be interesting to see how this leave of absence will impact Uber’s operations worldwide and especially in India