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LeadershipUber Technologies

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and Mark Zuckerberg Celebrate Friend’s Birthday at ‘Babes and Balls’ Party

By
Polina Marinova
Polina Marinova
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By
Polina Marinova
Polina Marinova
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March 10, 2017, 10:56 AM ET
Courtesy of SpiN

This story has been updated; see below.

It looks like Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is trying to blow off some steam after a turbulent few weeks at his tech company.

Kalanick had a night out with fellow tech founders last Friday, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, to celebrate Dropbox CEO Drew Houston’s birthday. Photos surfaced showing the founders playing an innocent game of ping pong at San Francisco ping pong bar SPiN.

It looked like fun. There was birthday cake and champagne. Oh, and of course, table tennis Olympian Lily Zhang was also in attendance.

The event, however, was called “Babes & Balls Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” The event was named and hosted by SPiN CMO Amy Chan. Here’s what reportedly happened according to sources familiar with the situation: Houston was having a dinner celebration for his birthday, which Kalanick and Zuckerberg attended. Following the dinner, the group headed to the “Babes and Balls” party and played ping pong. Sources tell Fortune that Kalanick was not aware of the party’s theme. Here are some photos from the night:

Travis Kalanick.Courtesy of SPiN
Courtesy of SpiN
Mark Zuckerberg.Courtesy of SPiN
Courtesy of SpiN
Drew Houston celebrating with birthday cake.Courtesy of SPiN
Courtesy of SpiN

This comes after Uber has been in the news for sexual harassment allegations. Kalanick hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate the claims, and two Uber executives have stepped down since the launch of the internal investigation.

Most recently, Kalanick has written a public apology saying he needs “leadership help” and announced that he will hire a chief operating officer at the company.

The story has been updated to include comments about the party from sources familiar with the situation.

About the Author
By Polina Marinova
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