• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechUber Technologies

Uber’s Head of Global Customer Support Departs

By
Kia Kokalitcheva
Kia Kokalitcheva
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Kia Kokalitcheva
Kia Kokalitcheva
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 7, 2016, 1:44 PM ET
Photograph by Getty Images

Uber is changing things up on the customer support front.

Tim Collins, who joined in early 2015 to lead the ride-hailing company’s global customer support efforts, is no longer with the company, according to a report from tech news site Recode and confirmed to Fortune by Uber. Collins is headed back to Amazon, where he spent 17 years prior to his time at Uber.

Austin Geidt, Uber’s fourth employee and until now its head of global expansion, will take over Collins’ responsibilities in the interim, the company confirmed.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

It’s unclear why Collins has decided to leave (and whether it was his decision), but the move comes only months after a pair of scathing reports from BuzzFeed about some of the company’s customer support practices.

For one, BuzzFeed published screenshots of Uber’s internal customer service software displaying more than 6,000 results when searching for the subject line “sexual assault” among customer inquiries, and 5,827 with the subject line “rape.” At the time, Uber responded that its software’s search functionality returns many additional results because of names and words that begin with with the letters R, A, P, E consecutively. It also said that it has received only five claims of rape and “fewer than” 170 claims of sexual assault between December 2012 and August 2015.

BuzzFeed also reported that Uber had recently reorganized its customer support teams and moved part of its operations to other countries like the Philippines and India, leading to a drop in quality, according to the report. At the time, Uber countered by saying that it had always planned to expand its customer support operations to other countries and that it was not “offshoring” them.

More recently, Uber’s customer support practices also came under fire after a shooter in Kalamazoo, Mich. killed several people on an evening he also worked for Uber. At least one victim was killed during his driving shift. One of the shooter’s passengers reported him to both the police and Uber because he was driving erratically four hours before the first victim was killed, though Uber didn’t immediately suspend his account because the complaint didn’t explicitly mention violence—only his driving.

“We thank Tim for his leadership in building out our global support teams and infrastructure,” an Uber spokesman told Fortune.

The story has been updated to clarify that Austin Geidt’s role leading the customer support team will be temporary.

About the Author
By Kia Kokalitcheva
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

broker
CommentarySoftware
The 3 forces quietly dismantling the business model that made enterprise software fabulously profitable
By Michael Jacobides and Stefano PuntoniApril 17, 2026
2 hours ago
Exclusive: Senator presses DOJ and Treasury over status of Binance monitors after $1.7 billion in Iran-linked crypto flows
CryptoIran
Exclusive: Senator presses DOJ and Treasury over status of Binance monitors after $1.7 billion in Iran-linked crypto flows
By Ben WeissApril 17, 2026
4 hours ago
The world holds its breath: Trump says Iran war will end ‘pretty soon’ as uranium deal is in sight
EconomyMarkets
The world holds its breath: Trump says Iran war will end ‘pretty soon’ as uranium deal is in sight
By Jim EdwardsApril 17, 2026
5 hours ago
The startup Blackstone just backed to turn any exec’s data question into instant answers
NewslettersTerm Sheet
The startup Blackstone just backed to turn any exec’s data question into instant answers
By Allie GarfinkleApril 17, 2026
5 hours ago
Netflix cofounder and chairman Reed Hastings on July 10, 2025 in Sun Valley, Idaho. (Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
End of an era: Reed Hastings steps down from Netflix
By Andrew NuscaApril 17, 2026
6 hours ago
A secretive tycoon known as the ‘French Murdoch’ holds the key to Bill Ackman’s $64 billion bid for Universal Music Group
Personal FinanceInvestment
A secretive tycoon known as the ‘French Murdoch’ holds the key to Bill Ackman’s $64 billion bid for Universal Music Group
By Amanda GerutApril 17, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeApril 15, 2026
2 days ago
A world going broke: IMF says America's $39 trillion national debt is actually a global problem—and AI may be the only rescue
Economy
A world going broke: IMF says America's $39 trillion national debt is actually a global problem—and AI may be the only rescue
By Nick LichtenbergApril 16, 2026
19 hours ago
Germany already told its workers to ditch four-day weeks and work-life balance. Now the government wants to cut their pay for calling in sick, too
Success
Germany already told its workers to ditch four-day weeks and work-life balance. Now the government wants to cut their pay for calling in sick, too
By Orianna Rosa RoyleApril 16, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott is bypassing the Ivy League and rewriting the $79 billion higher ed playbook by giving to HBCUs and community colleges
Politics
MacKenzie Scott is bypassing the Ivy League and rewriting the $79 billion higher ed playbook by giving to HBCUs and community colleges
By Sydney LakeApril 16, 2026
23 hours ago
Pope Leo warned the world is in ‘big trouble’ if Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire
Success
Pope Leo warned the world is in ‘big trouble’ if Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire
By Preston ForeApril 17, 2026
5 hours ago
Current price of oil as of April 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerApril 16, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.