Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was given carte blanche by Google Ventures president Bill Maris, a Fast Company feature reveals.
In late 2010, Uber found itself at the mercy of San Francisco city officials, who claimed it was running as an unlicensed taxi company. At the time, Uber was still operating under its original name, Ubercab, which the city argued was false marketing. CEO Travis Kalanick acted fast, clarifying that it was a technology company and trimming down the name to just Uber—and from there on out, despite the continued misgivings of taxi industry types, there was no stopping him.
