Uber Whistleblower Shares How Company had 'Unlimited Finance' to Silence Workers: Calls on EU Lawmakers to Take Action

Urian B., Tech Times 26 October 2022, 01:10 am

The Uber whistleblower who revealed how the company flouted the law and was able to secretly lobby governments around the world are now calling for actions to be taken against the "undemocratic" power of tech companies. The whistleblower is urging European lawmakers to take action.

Mark MacGann Worked as the Top Lobbyist for Uber in Europe

According to the story by The Guardian, Mark MacGann spoke to a committee of MEPs in the European parliament. MacGann worked as the top lobbyist for Uber in Europe.

It was stated that the practices of the cab-hailing company were "borderline immoral." He also recalls that the executives had "almost unlimited finance" to lobby and silence drivers with reportedly legal disputes.

MacGann noted that he hoped his testimony would help make it to lawmakers and that they would understand why "giving disproportionate power in legislation to huge tech platforms" results in the risk of social justice that the MEPs have tried to defend being shattered.

Former Uber Lobbyist Says the Financial Burden Should be on the Company and Not the Drivers

The former Uber lobbyist also urged European lawmakers to ensure that the drivers were protected much better due to draft legislation that the MEPs and EU ministers trash out. The EU is still holding debates about different proposals requiring gig-economy companies to provide still minimum wage, holidays, and access to sick pay.

The move could result in the companies being burdened with the employment status instead of the people working for them. MacGann said requiring drivers to hire expensive lawyers and even go to labor counts to prove their employment would be unfair.

He noted that the financial burden should be on those that can afford it. This means that the burden should be on the companies and not the drivers.

An article by Bloomberg in July 11 shared how Uber broke laws in global push and lobbied politicians.

Uber Spent a Whopping $90 Million on Lobbying and Communications in 2015 to 2016

MacGann stated that companies just like Uber, have a lot of money to drown anyone in legal fees. He then noted that he would like to help other whistleblowers speak regarding the wrongdoings in private companies or the government.

He noted that he has a platform and a voice to help out as many workers as possible who are still trying to be heard. When MacGann worked for Uber from 2015 to 2016, the company spent a whopping $90 million on lobbying and communications, as explained in an article by Tech Crunch.

During that time, the company reportedly allocated tens to hundreds of millions worldwide for expensive lawyers. MacGann noted that he was unqualified to talk about the legality of the lobbying practices of Uber but that he thinks some of it was borderline immoral.

MacGunn then stated that when tech companies have a lot of financial resources for their message to be pushed "at the expense of the far less powerful workers upon whom their model is built" something was happening that could be classified as "undemocratic."

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Written by Urian B.