Hard-driving Uber goes on charm offensive

New York

TRAVIS Kalanick did not build Uber into a global force by playing nice.

Mr Kalanick, the chief executive of Uber, a ride-hailing service, aggressively pushed the startup into new markets, taking combative stances towards regulators and the powerful taxi industry - and the news media.

But Mr Kalanick and his team have begun to trade the art of Sun Tzu for a full-throated charm offensive.

In January, Mr Kalanick delivered a speech in Munich, Germany, filled with talk about compromising with regulators he once sparred with, wanting to "make 2015 the year where we establish partnerships with new E…