Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has canceled his appearance at Recode's annual Code Conference in a month — one of the first guests to do so in the 15 years founders Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg have been running the event (and its predecessor). Kalanick will need to be at the company's office when the delayed report about Uber's sexist culture finally comes out, a spokesperson told Recode.
With two exceptions for sudden and serious family illnesses, no executive has bailed on the conference regardless of any company crisis, Swisher noted in a blog post about the cancelation.
Subbing in: Uber board member Arianna Huffington, who has been helping with the investigation, will appear on stage, possibly joined by the company's new HR chief, Liane Hornsey. "In other words, replacing Kalanick and manning up to address serious gender issues at Uber when the men could not bring themselves to, could be two women," writes Swisher.
One fun stat: The Journal says that in late 2016 the company was accruing cash "at a rate of about $3.6 million an hour."
Why it matters: Washington may be on the verge of a debate on tax reform, and that's going to include questions about how to handle corporate cash that, like Apple's, is largely held overseas.
These days, FTC Commissioner Terrell McSweeny is thinking a lot about data — How it can be delivered to consumers without gatekeepers, how it is safeguarded from hacks in the explosion of connected devices, and how tech companies collect and sell it.
Why she matters: In its proposal to unwind the 2015 net neutrality rules, the FCC wants to shift the responsibility of policing internet service provider behavior to the FTC. McSweeny's also keeping a close eye on the data security implications of the fast-growing Internet of Things ecosystem, including connected cars. Here are excerpts from our conversation:
