Josh Mohrer, the former general manager of Uber’s New York operations is headed to Tusk Ventures and will assume the post of their managing director. Mohrer’s departure doesn’t come at a very good time for the ride-hailing service. The company is already in plenty of hot water as it is just recovering from a number of public missteps that involve sexual harassment, payments to drivers, bad executive behavior, potential theft of intellectual property and the use of software that enabled the company to hoodwink law enforcement. Mohrer had been with Uber for the last five years and was head of the firm’s operations in the New York tri-state area.
He stated that he had absolutely nothing to do with the recent troubles Uber has encountered. He said that things have always been going on with the company and they are on their way to resolve the issues. If we take a look at the history of the ride-hailing firm, it is apparent that Mohrer did have some involvement in the previous issues faced by Uber. It was stated back in 2014 that the firm was taking unspecific disciplinary action against Mohrer. It was reported that he had violated the company’s privacy policy.
Buzzfeed had reported at that time that the firm’s ‘God mode’ had been used by Mohrer for tracking one of their reporters. Mohrer said that they had possessed a tool that allowed them to monitor rides while they were in progress and would have been immensely useful for market-making purposes. However, after this report, the tool was heavily locked down. Mohrer instantly disclosed that he had made use of the tool. He said that the reporter had been running late for a meeting and he had only wanted to see if he would make it. In retrospect, Mohrer admitted that this was a mistake on his part.
He also played a role in the kerfuffle in 2014 where Uber was criticized for the aggressive business practices it implemented against its competitors. Mohrer also admitted to making this mistake. As far as Bradley Tusk, founder of Tusk Ventures and early Uber investor, is concerned, he only has good things to say about Mohrer. He said that adding Josh to their team would enable them to offer more to their clients and benefit the entire firm in the form of customer acquisition, growth and real experience on operations. He said that they already know each other well, which is definitely a plus for them.
During his time at Uber, Mohrer continued to make small investments on the side through different syndicates, but Tusk is more excited about his experience in expanding Uber’s New York business. Indeed, there is no doubt that Mohrer is very skilled at his job as New York is one of the largest market for Uber and has been a central part of its strategy since its inception. Mohrer declared that he has learned from his past mistakes and wants to put everything behind him and he wants to use his experience to benefit Tusk and its portfolio.
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