Travis Kalanick resigns as Uber CEO

Uber founder Travis Kalanick has resigned as CEO. This announcement comes after he took an indefinite absence of leave last week.According to the New York Times, five of Uber's major investors, including venture capital firm Benchmark, "demanded" on Tuesday that Kalanick step down instantly. This was done so via a letter titled "Moving Uber Forward" which was delivered to Kalanick while the CEO was in Chicago.Kalanick said he "loves Uber more than anything in the world" and described this as a "difficult moment in [his] personal life". He has agreed to investors' request to resign so that "Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight".In a statement provided to Marketing by Uber, the company's board said Kalanick has always placed the company first, and that the resignation was a "bold decision and a sign of his devotion and love for Uber". The board added that him stepping down would provide the company "room to fully embrace this new chapter in Uber's history". Kalanick will remain on Uber’s board of directors.Apart from the above statements, Uber was unable to comment further.In an email to staff earlier, Kalanick said he was taking “time off from the day-to-day” to grieve his mother, who recently passed away. He said he will use the time to grow as a person, which will ultimately help the company. Kalanick also said that during his period of absence, he will hand over some of his responsibilities to a committee.Uber recently came under fire after former employee, Susan Fowler, alleged that the company failed to adequately handle sexual harassment and gender discrimination complaints.