, Columnist
Uber's Soap Opera May Not Be Over
SoftBank helped save the day, but it brings some dramatic tension of its own.
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It's tempting to believe the high drama is ending at Uber. Don't bet on it.
Yes, the company is moving past its year of hell. Travis Kalanick has been locked out of the chief executive suite, at least for now. Thanks to stock purchases led by SoftBank Group Corp., Kalanick and a number of other Uber stockholders cashed in some of their equity for a windfall. The stock transaction also ended a bitter feud that pitted one of Uber Technologies Inc.'s largest stockholders against others. Minefields still exist, but Uber seems to be making pragmatic, grown-up decisions perhaps for the first time in its history.