Uber co-founder and chief executive Travis Kalanick has been filmed swearing at a driver in a dispute over the firm’s pay structure.
The incident happened when driver Fawzi Kamel, who was driving the Uber boss, blamed him for a loss of income.
In the dashcam video, published by Bloomberg, driver Kamel said You’re raising the standards, and you’re dropping the prices.” (3m:50).
The pair discussed the state of the ride-hail market for a few moments before Kamel drove his point home. “People are not trusting you any more,” he said. “I lost $97,000 because of you. I’m bankrupt because of you ... You keep changing every day.”
Kalanick denied that the prices for Uber’s high-end service, Uber Black, have fallen that much, saying, “Bullshit.”
He then added: “Some people don’t like to take responsibility for their own shit. They blame everything in their life on somebody else. Good luck!” Then he slammed the door.
Kalanick has apologised in an email to staff and said he was “ashamed” of his behaviour and needed to “grow up”.
“By now I'm sure you've seen the video where I treated an Uber driver disrespectfully,” he wrote. “To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement.
"My job as your leader is to lead and that starts with behaving in a way that makes us all proud. That is not what I did, and it cannot be explained away.
"It's clear this video is a reflection of me - and the criticism we've received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up. This is the first time I've been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it.
"I want to profoundly apologise to Fawzi, as well as the driver and rider community, and to the Uber team."
The video was reportedly from February 5 2017.