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Uber's No. 2 Executive Quits after 6 months

By Sara Ashley O'Brien

NEW YORK, NY (CNN) -- Uber president Jeff Jones is quitting after six months on the job.

The ride-sharing company confirmed Jones' departure in a statement to CNNMoney late Sunday.

"We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best," the statement read.

The news was first reported by Recode.

Jones was named Uber's president at the end of August. He previously ran marketing for Target. Jones headed Uber's ride-hailing operations, marketing and customer support, and was second in command to CEO Travis Kalanick.

But the task of telling a better story about the company's business has gotten more difficult in recent months.

The company, valued at $68 billion, has had a rocky few months.

In January, critics of the company began a #DeleteUber campaign after Uber turned off surge pricing at New York City airports.

At the time, taxi drivers were protesting President Trump's travel ban by calling for a stop to pickups at JFK, where two Iraqis were being detained. Uber's decision effectively lowered the cost of a ride on its service.

And in February, the company was hit with sexual harassment claims from a former engineer. In a lengthy blog post, the woman accused the company of systemic sexism that included being propositioned for sex.

March also saw more controversy for the company. The New York Times reported that Uber had developed a tool that it used to deliberately deceive authorities in cities that had either banned the app or were trying to restrict its use.

In a letter to employees Sunday, CEO Travis Kalanick said that Jones made the decision after the company said it would hire a chief operating officer. Kalanick is looking for a new second in command that could help him steer the company's trajectory.

"Jeff came to the tough decision that he doesn't see his future at Uber," Kalanick wrote.

Jones did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Uber has already lost several big executives in recent weeks.

Uber's head of growth and product, Ed Baker, resigned from the company earlier this month.

And Amit Singhal, its head of engineering, resigned in late February after Recode reported that he had left a previous job at Google because of sexual harassment claims.

The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2017 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

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