Monday briefing: How disregard for the law turned Uber into a global empire

124,000 documents about Uber were leaked to the Guardian. Photograph: Guardian Design

Good morning. Last night, the Guardian published the first part of a major investigation into the ethically questionable practices that helped Uber to become a global ride-hailing empire. A new tranche of stories went live a few minutes ago.

The Uber files – an unprecedented leak of more than 124,000 documents – reveal the remarkable inside story of how the company secretly lobbied governments, misled police forces, disregarded local laws, and exploited violence against drivers to become one of the defining tech giants of the 21st century.