‘Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber,’ a Showtime series that follows the extraordinary, true tale of the ride-sharing corporation Uber from the perspective of its CEO Travis Kalanick, is unlike any other. It is after all a look at the highs and lows of the company through the eyes of the person who was finally removed as a result of an internal coup that many said was simply necessary after months of struggles on both the internal and external fronts. A notable example of this was the very publicised altercation Travis had with driver Fawzi Kamel back in 2017. Thus, if you’re interested in learning more about the latter, in particular, here’s what we know so far.
Who is Fawzi Kamel, and what is his story?
It was on February 5, 2017, Super Bowl Sunday, that Uber driver Fawzi Kamel picked up the CEO of the firm as a passenger, forcing him to use the occasion to express his displeasure. Because of this, when the ride was over and the two women who had been following his boss in the back seat stepped out, the 37-year-old brought up the subject of price drops, as well as how this had affected the drivers. As a driver for Uber Black, the “competitor” argument didn’t sit well with Fawzi, who began to question the company’s economic model as a result of the argument. As a result, the conversation became heated.
But, as Fawzi pointed out during their conversation, “people aren’t trusting you anymore,” pointing to the fact that he’d invested in the company by purchasing a fancy car so that he could drive, only to see his investment go into the red as a result of lower charges. “Do you believe that people will continue to purchase automobiles?” … I suffered a $97,000 financial loss as a result of your actions. Because of you, I’ve gone bankrupt. “Every day brings a new version of you.” Travis lost his temper at that point, later explaining, “You know what, some people don’t like to accept responsibility for their own s***.” They place the responsibility for everything that happens in their lives on the shoulders of others. “Best of Luck!”
When Fawzi was dissatisfied and irritated with the 40-year-old CEO’s performance, he gave him a one-star rating before giving over dashcam surveillance footage from the incident to Bloomberg, which was then released in late February. Travis not only wrote out an e-mail to his whole employees to express his regret, but he also went out to Fawzi to arrange a one-on-one meeting for a personal apology that lasted more than an hour. According to reports, the two discussed Uber’s pricing policy once more, and the CEO ultimately decided to compensate Fawzi by giving him a total of $200,000 out of his own pocket.
Fawzi Kamel: Where Is He At Present?
In an interview with Fawzi, he explained why he confronted Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. “Uber continued decreasing pricing every season in order to attract more ridership to satisfy their growth, and it didn’t matter to Uber if the driver was not even making minimum wage,” Fawzi said. “And the worst part is that they refer to us as partners, [but] they are the ones who create the regulations, determine the price, and even choose which cars you can drive.” His final statement was that “the actual issue is that the initial Uber Black vehicle drivers were the genuine investors in Uber.” “How is it that the original Uber Black car drivers received nothing, while the angel investors in Uber made millions off their $20,000 investment?”
Fawzi is still a resident of California where, based on what we’ve learned, he prefers to stay out of the spotlight. He was previously employed by Uber. He appears to have previously worked for a couple of limousine companies before joining the ride-sharing company, but he currently appears to be employed for Anise LLC in Petaluma.