(Illustration by Tech in Asia’s Andre Gunawan)
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was interviewed onstage today at WSJD Live in California. After explaining that China now accounts for 30 percent of all Uber rides around the world, he slammed WeChat, China’s top messaging app, over alleged censorship.
Uber’s official brand account was blocked on WeChat in March, and then in July some news articles related to Uber were being blocked when shared in the WeChat Moments stream. Tencent, the maker of WeChat, is an investor in Uber arch-rival Didi Kuaidi.
Kalanick didn’t mince his words talking onstage:
Wow: @travisk claims WeChat censors positive Uber news and messaging in China (WeChat developer TenCent backs rival Didi Kuaidi) #WSJDLive
— Marcus Wohlsen (@MarcusWohlsen) October 21, 2015
Travis: All positive stories about Uber are suppressed on WeChat and negative stories are raised #WSJDLive pic.twitter.com/DwTWovryBg
— Alistair Barr (@alistairmbarr) October 21, 2015
Uber's Travis Kalanick on Tencent's "dirty tricks" in China: "Competition in China works differently" #WSJDLive pic.twitter.com/48cgjc1lMy
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