Uber offered shares to media barons for political help, leak reveals

Tech firm wooed owners of publications in Europe and India as it sought favourable treatment from governments, documents show

Uber courted leading media barons across Europe and India with the aim of using their clout to secure more favourable treatment from governments, leaked documents reveal. It asked existing media investors to lobby on its behalf and offered others prized stakes in the company.

The tech company's charm offensive targeted the owners of publications including the UK's Daily Mail, France's Les Echos, Italy's La Repubblica and L'Espresso, Germany's Die Welt and Bild and the Times of India. The German deal was discussed internally as a way of gaining political support and influence" in Germany and Brussels, according to the Uber files, a leak of more than 124,000 documents to the Guardian.