Uber pushed the limits of the law. Now comes the reckoning

A man exits the Uber offices in Queens, New York, U.S., February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Shortly after taking over Uber Technologies Inc in September, Dara Khosrowshahi told employees to brace for a painful six months. US officials are looking into possible bribes, illicit software, questionable pricing schemes and theft of a competitor’s intellectual property. 

The very attributes that, for years, set the company on a rocket-ship trajectory – a tendency to ignore rules, to compete with a mix of ferocity and paranoia – have unleashed forces that are now dragging Uber back to down to earth.