Uber’s board met yesterday to decide whether co-founder Travis Kalanick should step back — and to determine the future of two close allies — as it considers the findings of a scathing¹ report into the ride-hailing group’s culture.

优步(Uber)董事会昨日召开会议，以决定联合创始人特拉维斯卡兰尼克(Travis Kalanick)是否应当后退一步，并决定他的两个亲密盟友的未来。董事会正在考虑一份严厉批评这家叫车服务集团文化的调查报告。

Mr Kalanick could go on temporary leave or cede² his position as chief executive, according to two people involved in the situation, putting the future of the tech industry’s most valuable private company on the line after months of damaging revelations about its leadership and workplace behaviour.

两位知情人士透露，卡兰尼克可能会暂时休假或者放弃他的首席执行官职位，使这家科技行业估值最高的私有公司的未来面临危险，此前几个月不断爆出关于其领导层和工作场所行为的破坏性消息。

The board will delve³ through the report into Uber’s internal practices and diversity prepared by Eric Holder⁴, the former US attorney-general, according to these people.

上述知情人士表示，优步董事会将深入研究这份出自美国司法部前部长埃里克霍尔德(Eric Holder)之手、有关优步内部实践与多元性的报告。

Its leadership team has also been shaken by allegations that a senior manager obtained medical records related to a rape⁵ victim who was assaulted by her Uber driver in India.

有关一名高管获取在印度遭到优步司机强奸的一名女性乘客的病历的指称，也震动了该公司的领导团队。

Uber fired more than 20 people last week following an earlier investigation⁶ into claims of sexual harassment⁷ at the company.

上周，在之前针对该公司存在性骚扰的指控完成调查后，优步解雇了20多人。

Two of Mr Kalanick’s longest-serving deputies, Emil Michael and Ryan Graves, have become embroiled⁸ in the scandals. Mr Holder’s report could put their future at the company into question, according to one person close to the deliberations.

卡兰尼克的两名服务时间最长的副手埃米尔迈克尔(Emil Michael)和瑞安格拉夫斯(Ryan Graves)卷入了这些丑闻。一位知情人士表示，霍尔德的报告可能会使这二人在优步的未来产生问号。

Uber declined to comment.

优步拒绝置评。

Complicating⁹ the board’s decisions is the leadership vacuum at the company after a series of high-level departures. Six people reporting to Mr Kalanick have left since February. Uber is still hunting for a chief operating officer while it is accelerating a search for a chief financial officer.

使优步董事会的决定变得更复杂的是，在多名高管相继走人后，目前该公司已出现领导层真空。今年2月以来，已有6名向卡兰尼克报告的高管离开了。优步仍在物色一名首席运营官，同时也在加紧寻找一名首席财务官。

Any diminution¹⁰ of Mr Kalanick’s duties would come as a serious blow to Uber, which is valued at $70bn. In the tech industry, founders¹¹ often have cult-like followings among employees, while their large shareholdings can make it difficult for board members and other investors¹² to force them out.

对卡兰尼克职权的任何削减，都将对估值高达700亿美元的优步造成沉重打击。在科技行业，创始人经常在员工中享有偶像般的崇拜，同时，他们的高持股比例也导致董事会成员或其他投资人很难把他们赶走。