Uber's CEO made his first appearance on Stephen Colbert's new Late Show, but it was far from a smooth ride.
An audience member heckled Travis Kalanick about Uber's effect on the taxi industry, according to Business Insider, whose reporters witnessed the contretemps.
According to BI, an audience member heckled Kalanick at length, accusing Uber of stealing taxi industry jobs. Colbert did not interrupt, according to the witnesses. Kalanick defended his company by saying Uber paid better and gave workers more freedom in their hours.
The incident, which may be edited considerably or even deleted before airing on Thursday night's show, reflects the controversy that has dogged Uber's extraordinary growth, particularly in New York. In defense of the city's powerful taxi industry, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed capping the number of Ubers on the city's streets.
Uber fought back by hiring regulatory adviser Brad Tusk, who suggested the startup shame the city -- which it did, successfully, by recruiting celebrities, including Ashton Kutcher, to defend Uber by portraying the company as an innovative, job-creating icon of the new economy.
Kalanick's appearance on the Late Show seemed to be part of several public appearances designed to humanize the company.