Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped (p.396) reports new Uber chief legal officer Tony West fired Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan for the 2016 incident in which Sullivan paid a hacker who had infiltrated Uber systems. In West’s view, this was an improper payment, and Sullivan should have sought legal advice and informed authorities of the breach. In Sullivan’s view, paying a hacker was legitimate.
Uber asked Sullivan to sign a non-disparagement agreement in exchange for a severance payment. When Sullivan refused to sign, Uber leaked the story to a reporter, calling the payment a cover-up operation to pay off hackers and hide evidence from consumers. West’s view was vindicated when Sullivan was convicted of federal charges in 2022.