Travis Kalanick & Uber – staggering global spread, vast losses

Uber is having a fairly car-crash 2017 with their misogynistic culture going viral; Travis Kalanick, the CEO, outed for boorish behaviour towards an Uber driver; for evading regulatory agency monitoring; and inadequacies in Uber’s driver screening procedures. A number of Uber senior executives have resigned or been asked to. And to cap it all it is, according to Forbes, ‘burning cash at a frightening rate, its business fundamentals are fraught with chronic challenges, and Uber’s path to profitability is far from certain.’

Uber in seven years has secured more venture capital than any startup in history. In 2016, the company carried 700 million passengers in over 70 countries, booked $20 billion in rides, and generated $6.8 billion in net revenues. But 2016 saw a loss of $2.8 billion, double that of the year before.

Uber launched 1 March 2009 which gives it a Pisces Sun and Uranus both opposition Saturn in Virgo. Tr Neptune has been conjunct the Sun this year, running on till January 2018, which is always a downhill influence for a business; with tr Neptune moving on to square the Sun/Saturn midpoint in 2018, and oppose Saturn in 2019, which is worse, very uncertain. Tr Pluto is also trine the Saturn in 2017/18 which is restrictive financially and otherwise. 2019 looks a very rocky year indeed with the Solar Arc Sun conjunct Uranus; followed by a financial bubble-bursting Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct Neptune in 2020.

Travis Kalanick, 6 Aug 1976, is a Sun Saturn in Leo trine Neptune, sextile Pluto – so has definite tendencies to flamboyance and stratospheric ambitions. He looks hard pressed in 2017/18 with tr Pluto trine his Mars; rocked sideways in 2018 with tr Uranus square his Uranus and then a jolting square to his Saturn in 2019; with even worse trouble in 2019 when tr Neptune opposes his Mars bringing a sniff of real failure. But he’ll rise again out of the ashes by 2023/24 when tr Pluto is trine his Jupiter in Taurus.

He’s pretty locked into Uber with an iron grip with a composite Sun opposition Pluto Mercury square Saturn in the relationship chart, so he won’t give up easy.