7. The Distended Board: Uber

Looking at the history of most successful organizations, we can see how ambitious leaders with a strong vision played a key role in getting the venture off the ground. The problem comes when the vision begins to fade, and ambition and aggression take over and become, not a means to an end, but the end themselves. This is what we mean by amplification of culture: the distortion of the original healthy, vibrant culture into something much darker and malign. From its inception in 2009, Uber was an assertive, ambitious organization, keen on dominating the newly evolving ride-sharing industry, but Uber pushed the boundaries to breaking point and then beyond. The company’s aggressive tendencies led Uber to break moral and ethical limits. That same cultural amplification permeated the culture of the board as well, with aggressive figures like Kalanick and his supporters dominating the boardroom and denying other stakeholders a voice.