Travis Kalanick was the daring entrepreneur behind Uber’s rapid expansion. On his way to building Uber into a billion-dollar company, Kalanick disregarded morals and the law. In addition to other things, he supported a toxic business culture that may have even encouraged sexual harassment.
In 2017, Kalanick left his position as Uber’s CEO, but he kept his board seat. Travis sold 90% of his shares before resigning from the board in late December 2019, making a profit of around $2.5 billion.
Where was Travis Kalanick born? Ethnicity, Nationality, Family, Education
Kalanick’s ascent and fall are portrayed in Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber on Showtime. Travis’ father, an engineer, was the one who introduced Kalanick to technology.
Bonnie and Donald Kalanick welcomed Travis into the world on August 6, 1976, in Northridge, California. Bonnie and Donald both came from European families: Bonnie was a descendant of a Viennese Jewish family that immigrated to the US in the early 20th century, and Donald was a member of a Slovak-Austrian Catholic family that originated in Graz, Austria.
Kalanick grew up with two half-sisters and a firefighter brother named Cory. Donald was an engineer for the city of Los Angeles, while Bonnie worked in advertising for the Los Angeles Daily News.
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Don encouraged Travis’ interest in technology by working with him on science projects, such as creating an electrical transformer, and by bringing early computers home for his son to tinker with. Don also introduced Travis to programming.
Kalanick was a sales prodigy who loved computers. He began making a modest fortune at the age of 18 selling Cutco knives door to door.
Travis enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles to study computer engineering and business economics. He left late to concentrate on the company Scour. To shield itself from a $250 billion lawsuit brought by the music industry, Scour declared bankruptcy in 2000.
Unfazed, Kalanick founded Red Swoosh, a new firm that originally had trouble raising money. Travis was compelled to return to his childhood home by the repeated failures.
Bonnie explained to Kara Swisher for Vanity Fair that she felt torn since she was relieved that he was back home. He “wore out a path” going round and round in our living room and kitchen while constantly on the phone trying to make that company work.”
Don, who fostered Travis’ passion for technology, was only able to encourage him. Travis eventually made Red Swoosh profitable, selling it for a cool $2 million, which was more than enough to pay for his relocation from his parent’s home to San Francisco.
I was used to receiving sales rejection because I worked for a newspaper, so Bonnie remarked, “I knew what that was like.”But I was still hopeful because he is persistent and very determined, and he won’t back down when he believes he is in the right. In an accident that left Kalanick’s father seriously hurt, his mother died.
In a horrific watercraft accident in late May 2017, Bonnie Kalanick perished. The Kalanick family’s favorite vacation spot, Pine Flats Lake, was the scene of the accident.
Travis said on Facebook that he turned down calls from his mother asking him to go on the outing with her and Don. Bonnie’s final message to Travis included a picture of the lake that she had taken on the way there from the campground.
According to Kalanick, the sad incident was brought on by a mix-up involving his parents’ cat. He stated:
“My Mom requested that my Dad take over the driving, something I have seen them do countless times before. However, before they switched, our family dog obstructed their path, causing the wheel to suddenly turn to the right. My Dad yanked the steering wheel back when he saw the boat was headed directly for the rocks, but it was too late. The boat slammed against the rocks.
Donald, who was badly hurt, was able to drag Bonnie’s corpse to shore, but Bonnie was already gone. She would have died nearly instantaneously after hitting her head on a rock. Travis said, “My Mom, unconscious, had probably passed away from the impact right away.”
Bonnie was described by Kalanick as a lover who “wore her emotions on her sleeves” as he lavished compliments on her. He stated:
“When she entered a room, it was immediately filled with her warmth, smile, and delight. They spread disease. She never stopped teaching me about the other side of life, including people, love, her favorite holidays, and the importance of human connection and humanity.
I commit to living it and expressing it in her honor because I miss her so much and feel the void she left in my heart. I also recognize the gift she gave me much more fully.
Despite having a broken leg, five broken ribs, and a broken vertebra, Kalanick’s father lived.
Don was thrown into the eddy by the collision of the accident. He sustained a collapsed lung, five broken ribs, a shattered leg, and a broken spine. Nevertheless, he labored for two hours to bring his companion ashore while wrapping Bonnie in life jackets and fighting the chilly river.
Boats passed by but failed to notice them. A fisherman eventually discovered them. She had been dead when my Dad tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation,” Travis wrote.
Donald’s ability to live through the injury and respond to therapy shows tremendous fortitude. Travis wrote a Father’s Day tribute in honor of Donald in June 2017. He posted pictures of his father with the following caption:
“Dad, ever since I was a child, you have been my hero. However, throughout the past few weeks, our entire family has been inspired by your deep reservoir of resilience and warmth at the darkest moments. Happy Father’s Day to my hero for life. Thank you, Dad.
During this turbulent time in Kalanick’s life, the majority of people sent condolences and supportive comments while overlooking his flaws.
On Facebook, he wrote:
I want to express my gratitude to everyone for their sincere support and prayers. They mean more than I can express amid the suffering and heartache. I’m moved to tears every time a new note arrives as I sit here in my father’s Fresno hospital room.
Uber drivers, however, who were displeased with Travis’ direction, posted offensive remarks in Facebook discussion groups. One fairly subdued remark was as follows:
“I’m sorry for his mother, and I hope his father’s recuperation goes well quickly. However, Travis has broken up a lot of families. With that in mind, I offer my condolences to the rest of the family and friends, but NOT to Travis.
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