The Kill Switch in police raids
Uber Legal Compliance — spokesperson statement, Statement to Dutch Media following police raids
“Uber cooperates fully with authorities in the Netherlands and provides all requested documentation through standard legal processes.”
Travis Kalanick & Operations Leads — executive instructions, Urgent email thread during Amsterdam tax inspection
“Please hit the kill switch immediately. Access must be shut down in AMS. Lock all laptops remotely and sever connectivity to the San Francisco servers.”
The Split:While PR told journalists that Uber was cooperating fully with authorities, executives were frantically firing off emails commanding technicians to deploy the 'kill switch' and cut off local police access to servers.
Watch for statements claiming 'full cooperation' issued at the precise moment IT infrastructure is severed.