Thursday 02 February 2017 10:47 pm

Uber’s chief executive has quit Trump’s business advisory group

Uber's chief executive Travis Kalanick has just quit Donald Trump's business advisory group, according to an email to employees.

Kalanick's resignation comes after the US President issued an executive order banning entry to people from seven majority-Muslim countries.

"Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that," Kalanick said in the email, which was seen by Reuters.

Activists who oppose the administration's immigration policies, including Uber drivers, many of whom are immigrants themselves, have put pressure on the ride-hailing app's boss to quit.

"There are many ways we will continue to advocate for just change on immigration, but staying on the council was going to get in the way of that. The executive order is hurting many people in communities all across America," he wrote in a note to employees. "Families are being separated, people are stranded overseas and there’s a growing fear the U.S. is no longer a place that welcomes immigrants."

The move could put pressure on other chief executives who are expected to attend a meeting the the President tomorrow.

Last weekend, protests against the travel ban erupted at airports around the US and some taxi drivers went on strike in opposition. The hashtag #DeleteUber began trending on social media after Uber responded to the situation by dropping its surge pricing around New York's John F. Kennedy Airport – a move that activists interpreted as profiting from the taxi driver strike.