The recent leak of 124,000 confidential Uber documents has shed light on some of the ethically questionable activities that have arguably helped fuel the ride-hailing company’s global rise. Among allegations of law breaking and the secret lobbying of government figures, the “Uber files” show that the company paid academics to produce research on the company—often co-authored with Uber’s own employees. While of course not illegal, this raises questions about the role of academics and research in corporate lobbying.