美国国家公共电台 NPR--Uber leak reveals how company lobbied governments to help its global rise

Uber leak reveals how company lobbied governments to help its global rise

Transcript¹

NPR speaks with Sydney Freedberg, chief reporter at ICIJ, about the key takeaways from her investigation² into the chaotic³, aggressive tactics used by Uber as it made a bid for global domination.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Leaked documents show how Uber executives did business. The documents are dubbed⁴ the Uber Files. The files show the company, which many people use to get a ride, dodged⁵ local tax laws and worked to slow down investigations⁶ of its practices, even took advantage of its drivers. Someone gave these documents to The Guardian⁷, which shared them with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, where Sydney Freedberg is the chief reporter. Good morning.

SYDNEY FREEDBERG: Good morning. How are you, Steve?

INSKEEP: I'm doing OK. I mean, some people are very familiar with Uber because they use it every day. They connect people who need a ride with drivers who want to give one. They, of course, are designed to evade⁸ taxi and transit⁹ rules. They operate a little bit outside the law, by definition. But are you saying it's worse than we thought?

FREEDBERG: I think what we're saying is that a lot was known, Steve, about their practices in the United States, but very little was known about their aggressive, audacious and chaotic overseas expansion. So these documents essentially¹⁰ shed light on what happened when - in the years 2014 to 2017 when Uber is in the posture¹¹ of expanding rapidly in Europe and elsewhere.

INSKEEP: How did they get the cooperation of top officials in places like France, for example?

FREEDBERG: Well, that - OK, so what these documents show is that the company kind of knowingly broke laws and thwarted¹² law enforcement. And they secretly lobbied governments, and one of the top examples of that, I think, is Emmanuel Macron, who at the time was a young minister, very ambitious, and he held a lot of confidential¹³ talks, it turns out, with Uber at the time of their advance. There was all sorts of problems in Paris and elsewhere, Marseilles, because the taxi industry was totally opposed to Uber coming in and basically in defiance¹⁴ of local rules. So they needed a friend - Uber needed a friend and got in and sort of turned Macron into a top ally.

INSKEEP: Did Uber manage to make a friend of another future president, Joe Biden, who was then vice¹⁵ president of the United States?

FREEDBERG: Yeah, that's kind of an interesting, lovely little anecdote¹⁶ in our story. So President Biden, when he was vice president, is in Davos in 2016, and he asks for a meeting with the then CEO. And it's arranged by a bunch of former Obama aides, including David Plouffe, best known for being the architect of President Obama's 2008 campaign. They go into - they have a secret meeting. Uber wants it secret; Biden doesn't say anything about the secrecy¹⁷. They go into a meeting in Davos right before Vice President Biden is to give a keynote address about the future - the digital economy and the future of work in the world. So they go into the meeting, and the CEO pitches Biden on what a great company Uber is. And then Uber goes on stage in the InterContinental in Davos, and he sticks a line in the speech about alluding¹⁸ to the company and what a kind of great deal it is for workers.

INSKEEP: Which is not a suggestion of something improper¹⁹. But they got in there and they were persuasive²⁰, and they persuaded Biden to promote their cause. Now, this thing about taking advantage of drivers and violence against drivers, very briefly²¹, what did they do?

FREEDBERG: Well, essentially - so there were these anti-Uber protests led by taxi drivers, and they've broken out in Europe. And the leaked correspondence shows that the CEO - the then-CEO and various executives in the company - not all but some - they basically encourage - at that point, they encourage employees to have Uber drivers stage a counterprotest. There was one in France that they were suggesting. So despite the warnings, they kind of put their - put the drivers at risk of attack, saying it would be worth it because in the words of the former CEO, violence guarantees success. So they're - it's a way for them to sort of curry²² favor with political types who might see the violence as distasteful.

INSKEEP: OK. Some of the findings from 124,000 documents obtained by The Guardian and reviewed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Reporter Sydney Freedberg, thanks so much.

FREEDBERG: You're welcome. Thanks.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

4 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 dodged   

v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He dodged cleverly when she threw her sabot at him. 她用木底鞋砸向他时，他机敏地闪开了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He dodged the book that I threw at him. 他躲开了我扔向他的书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

7 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

8 evade   

vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避

参考例句：

• He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
• You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？

9 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

10 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

11 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

12 thwarted   

阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• The guards thwarted his attempt to escape from prison. 警卫阻扰了他越狱的企图。
• Our plans for a picnic were thwarted by the rain. 我们的野餐计划因雨受挫。

13 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

14 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

15 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

16 anecdote   

n.轶事，趣闻，短故事

参考例句：

• He departed from the text to tell an anecdote.他偏离课文讲起了一则轶事。
• It had never been more than a family anecdote.那不过是个家庭趣谈罢了。

17 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

18 alluding   

提及，暗指( allude的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He didn't mention your name but I was sure he was alluding to you. 他没提你的名字，但是我确信他是暗指你的。
• But in fact I was alluding to my physical deficiencies. 可我实在是为自己的容貌寒心。

19 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

20 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

21 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

22 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。