Uber’s head of Public Relations, Rachel Whetstone, has announced her resignation from her position amidst a string of scandals hitting the ride-sharing company.
Whetstone’s departure comes in the middle of a difficult time for the company, who have been accused of tolerating sexual abuse in the workplace, as well as facing legal difficulties with the employment nature of their drivers. Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick was recently caught on video arguing with driver Fawzi Kamel, who accused him of “raising the standards, and… dropping the prices”, making drivers “bankrupt”.
In a memo to employees, CEO Travis Kalanick said Rachel Whetstone was a “force of nature” who was “was way ahead of the game when it came to many of the changes we needed to make as a company.”
Whetstone was the longest serving female executive at the eight-year-old company, with a tenure of less than two years. Her deputy, Jill Hazelbaker, will replace her.
“I am incredibly proud of the team that we’ve built—and that just as when I left Google, a strong and brilliant woman will be taking my place,” Whetstone said in a statement.
Whetstone’s resignation comes just after that of Uber’s president, Jeff Jones, quit the company six months after joining from US retail firm Target. In a statement to the tech blog Recode at the time, Jones said “the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride-sharing business.”
Ed Baker, Uber’s vice president of product and growth, also left the company earlier this year, alongside Uber’s top security researcher, Charlie Miller, who left to join Chinese rival Didi.