Nick Bilton doesn't mention it but the one story of Travis Kalanick ethics that always sticks in my mind was his handling of employee tax withholdings in Red Swoosh (2001). Excerpt from BI[1]:<p><i>>Kalanick and Todd had different opinions about how to keep the company afloat, which blossomed into serious disagreements. They began cutting corners to get by, in some cases pushing the ethical and legal boundaries.<p>>For instance, at one point, the company stopped withholding income taxes from employees’ paychecks — a criminal offense.<p>>Kalanick insists that Todd made this move without his knowledge, publicly blaming his co-founder for the infraction. Todd insists the decision was made jointly.<p>>As Kalanick has recounted the story: "We owed $110,000 to the IRS in un-withheld income taxes, which is a white-collar crime that pierces the corporate shell, and it doesn't matter whether you knew or not. If you're an officer of the company you're going to jail."<p>>"Travis is a very smart guy but he and I clearly have different memories on this 13-year-old detail," Todd says. And an email sent by Kalanick at the time and obtained by Business Insider appears to demonstrate his participation in the tax plan.</i><p>By my count, Travis didn't just commit one but <i>two</i> sins in ethics. (1) was not paying the IRS. The (2) was shifting all blame to his business partner and claiming ignorance.<p>For some, I suppose that his paying back the IRS resets the sin odometer to zero and therefore's he's redeemed. However, I personally wouldn't invest in Uber at all while he is running the company. I believe his earlier behavior is indicative of an inherent personality trait and I would be afraid of new "skeletons" from Uber's closet that were of Travis' making.<p>Maybe Travis is a nice guy to have beers with but I'd be wary of doing business with him.<p>[1] <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-travis-kalanick-bio-2014-1" rel="nofollow">http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-travis-kalanick-bio-2014...</a>