Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigns

— -- Travis Kalanick, the embattled CEO of the ride-hailing company Uber, resigned on Tuesday, a company spokesperson told ABC News.

The resignation comes amid a decision by company shareholders who pushed for his exit.

"I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight," Mr. Kalanick said in a statement.

Already before his resignation, Kalanick last week announced that he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence that he said would give him time to work on becoming a better leader. He also said that he needed the time away to grieve the loss of his mother, who died in a boating accident less than a month ago.

While Kalanick launched Uber into one of the world's most ubiquitous companies, his tenure has been marked by a number of controversies.

His leave of absence came shortly after former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder released a 13-page list of recommendations on how the company could improve its business culture.

Holder, now a partner at the law firm Covington & Burling, was tapped by the company to conduct a review of the company's workplace environment after a former employee alleged that she had been sexually harassed and discriminated against while working there.

About 20 employees were fired as a result of that investigation, according to the company.

Separately, Uber board member David Bonderman, one of the first to invest in the company, stepped down last week after he was accused of making sexist remarks toward fellow board member Arianna Huffington.