Mother of Uber CEO Kalanick dies in boating accident
SAN FRANCISCO — The mother of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has died in a boating accident, and her husband remains in serious condition.
The couple, Bonnie and Donald Kalanick, were boating on Pine Flat Lake near Fresno, Calif., Friday afternoon when their watercraft struck a rock and sank. Fresno emergency rescue personnel found Bonnie unresponsive, while her husband was flown to a nearby hospital.
The news, first reported in a tweet Saturday by New York Times reporter Mike Isaac, was confirmed by USA TODAY.
An Uber spokesperson said that "last night Travis and his family suffered an unspeakable tragedy. His mother passed away in a devastating boating accident near Fresno and his father is in serious condition. Our thoughts and prayers are with Travis and his family in this heartbreaking time.”
The spokesperson also provided an email sent to employees Saturday by Uber HR boss Liane Hornsey. She vowed to keep the company's 12,000 employees updated, adding that "this is an unthinkable tragedy as everyone in the Uber family knows how incredibly close Travis is to his parents."
Kalanick has not commented on the accident. His last tweet was Friday, and simply read "Hello New York!"
In early May, he posted a photo on Twitter of himself with his parents at the Kentucky Derby.
On May 15, Kalanick posted a Mother's Day tribute to his mother on Facebook.
"As time goes on, I appreciate my mom, her infinite love and huge (heart emoji) more and more," Kalanick wrote. "Leaving Los Angeles (my home town) today, I already miss her. Happy Mother's Day to the best mom out there. Love ya Mom."
Kalanick was raised in Southern California and even moved back in with his parents north of Los Angeles when he was working on a series of startups that preceded Uber.
Recode's Kara Swisher posted an excerpt Saturday detailing her encounter with Kalanick and his mother a few years ago, which was subsequently cut from her Vanity Fair profile of the ride-hailing company's cofounder.
Wrote Swisher: “I was conflicted because I was happy he was home,” says his mother, Bonnie Kalanick, today. “He wore out a path walking in a circle of our kitchen and living room, always on the phone trying to make that company work.”
She gestures to show the route her son trod over and over in what is a small space. It’s a vivid memory still and her eyes tear up at the thought of every past setback that her first-born son has suffered. “She cries at a Hallmark commercial,” jokes her husband, Don Kalanick.
The Kalanicks were retired and had left the bustle of Southern California for the relative calm found inland. A Fresno County Sheriff's Department release called the Kalanicks a "local couple." His brother, Cory, is a fireman with the Fresno fire department.
The tragedy strikes just as Kalanick's company is facing a storm of criticism and scrutiny from some employees over an allegedly sexist and cut-throat work culture. A blog post written by former engineer Susan Fowler has led to an internal investigation by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, whose results will be released in the coming weeks.
Follow USA TODAY tech reporter Marco della Cava on Twitter.