The deal will relieve pressure from Yandex shareholders, who were concerned about squeezed margins, big losses and heavy investments in the ride-hailing business, Khudaverdyan and Abovsky said. Four members from Yandex will be on the board, with three seats for Uber. The executives of the Russian company said that while Uber has a deep bench of talented people, and the deal team changed over time, both Kalanick and Michael were involved. Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kalanick and Michael both recently left operational roles at Uber amid a series of scandals, including a human resources overhaul, sexual harassment allegations, and a trade secret dispute. Kalanick still serves on the board of directors and owns a stake in Uber. But Yandex was positively surprised by Uber, Khudaverdyan and Abovsky said. Growth opportunities for the new company include integration with Yandex's ecosystem and Uber's food delivery program.