Uber — Ethics Grade D+

Uber receives an overall ethics grade of D+ (36/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Technology. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 20
• privacy: 25
• consumer: 35
• environment: 50
• humanRights: 40

Documented incidents (3)

• The Uber Files (high, 2022) — Leaked documents revealed Uber's strategy of flouting local laws, lobbying top politicians in secret, and using a 'kill switch' to cut off access to company servers during police raids in multiple countries.
• Supreme Court Worker Status (high, 2021) — The UK Supreme Court ruled that Uber must classify drivers as workers rather than self-employed contractors, entitling them to minimum wage and holiday pay. Uber fought this through several lower courts.
• 2016 Breach Cover-up (high, 2017) — Uber paid hackers $100,000 to delete stolen data of 57 million users and kept the breach secret for a year. The company was later fined for failing to disclose the incident to regulators.

Documented good deeds

• Uber Green Initiative — Uber launched a $800 million fund to help drivers transition to electric vehicles by 2025 in major cities, aiming for a fully zero-emission platform by 2040.

Ethical alternatives

• The Drivers Cooperative — Worker-owned alternative that provides higher profit shares to drivers and better safety vetting.