Emil Michael, now a senior Pentagon official, says he’ll never forgive Uber investors who ousted him and Kalanick

Emil Michael, now a senior official at the Department of Defense (DoD), recently gave an interview revealing his enduring bitterness over his ouster from Uber alongside former CEO Travis Kalanick. Michael bluntly stated he was "effectively" forced out by investors and that he will "never forget nor forgive" the decision. Both he and Kalanick believe the investors prioritized short-term returns over Uber’s long-term potential, particularly regarding autonomous driving technology, which they saw as the company’s future. Uber’s self-driving unit was sold to Aurora in 2020, three years after their departure, a move that Michael and Kalanick view as a missed opportunity given Waymo’s current success in robotaxis. Kalanick has continued to invest in robotics and autonomous tech, including his stealth startup Atoms and the industrial-focused company Pronto. Michael also discussed his current role in the DoD’s contentious relationship with Anthropic, a major large language model vendor. He emphasized the complexity of