UBER HAS BEEN UNDER FIRE QUITE A BIT
RECENTLY WHEN IT COMES TO
HARASSMENT, BULLYING, AND DISCRIMINATION.
TODAY THE
COMPANY ANNOUNCED THEY ARE GOING TO BE ADOPTING SOME CULTURAL
CHANGES AND MAY BE SAYING
GOODBYE TO THEIR CEO TRAVIS.
I JUST WANT
TO TAKE A TRIP DOWN
MEMORY LANE OF SOME CONTROVERSIES UBER HAS BEEN
DEALING WITH.
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS MEDIUM PIECE YOU
SHOULD GO BACK AND READ IT.
IT HAS A GREAT EXPLANATION OF HOW
SEXUAL HARASSMENT WORKS IN A
GROUP PLACE.
AND HOW OFTEN SOME HR PEOPLE RESPONDED.
SHE ALSO
TALKS ABOUT SOME OF THE MORE SEEMINGLY INNOCUOUS TYPES OF
SEXISM THAT CAN HAPPEN IN THE
WORKPLACE.
THERE WERE ALL THESE CRAZY THINGS THAT HAPPENED AT
UBER.
IF
THAT DOESN'T GIVE YOU
AN IDEA OF WHAT THIS CULTURE IS
LIKE I DON'T KNOW WHAT WELL.
THE CEO HAS HAD SOME ISSUES OF
HIMSELF.
I'M SURE YOU REMEMBER THE VIRAL VIDEO OF HIM YELLING
ABOUT AN UBER DRIVER
COMPLAINING ABOUT PAY.
SOME OTHER INSIGHTS INTO HIS
PERSONALITY CAN BE SEEN FROM A MEMO HE SENT.
THERE WERE ALL THE
ALSO OTHER REFERENCES TO OTHER ISSUES.
CLEARLY UBER HAS
PROBLEMS.
THERE IS NO WORD WHETHER OR NOT THE CEO WILL BE
LEAVING.
HE TALKED ABOUT THAT HE MIGHT CONSIDER TAKING A LEAVE OF
ABSENCE.
HIS MOTHER RECENTLY
PASSED.
WHAT YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THIS?
>>IT'S INTERESTING.
HOW LONG HAS UBER BEEN AROUND?
>>NOT VERY LONG.
BACK IN 2014 THE ONLY HAD 400 EMPLOYEES, NOW THEY HAVE NEARLY
9000.
>>HOW DO YOU ALREADY HAVE DEEP-SEATED CULTURAL ISSUES?
WE
TEND TO BLAME THE ISSUES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT ON THESE KIND
OF CULTURAL NORMS THAT ARE ENTRENCHED IN A PARTICULAR
GENERATION OF SEXISM, LIKE FOX NEWS.
BUT WITH UBER IT IS NOT A GENERATIONAL ISSUE.
IS A CULTURAL PROBLEM.
>> YOU WERE ON SILICON VALLEY, YOU KNOW THAT IS A HUGE PROBLEM
WITH THESE SILICON VALLEY TECH PROBLEMS.
IT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME
THAT THEY HAVE HUGE CULTURE ISSUES BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE
TECH COMPANIES DO.
>>YOU ARE SAYING THOSE OLD GUYS, THAT IS KIND OF THE WAY THEY
USED TO DO BUSINESS IN THE 50S AND 60S OR WHATEVER.
>>NO, I AM SAYING WE CANNOT BLAME ISSUES OF SEXUAL
HARASSMENT ON THIS GENERATIONAL
CULTURAL TREND.
IT IS THROUGH AND THROUGH.
THEY HAVE BEEN
AROUND FOR FIVE YEARS AND THEY HAVE ISSUES WITH SEXISM.
WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN
THE WORKPLACE, LET'S PUT THE BLAME ON SEXISM AND MISOGYNY
NON-GENERATIONAL NORMS OR OTHER
ISSUES.
>>I THINK THE PROBLEM IS ñ I AGREE WITH YOU.
BUT I THINK THE
PROBLEM IS WE ARE IN THE YEAR 2017 AND WE HAVE ALL THESE LAWS
NOW AND ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT INFRASTRUCTURE THINGS THAT ARE
IN PLACE TO PREVENT THIS.
AND WE
KNOW BETTER NOW EVEN THOUGH WE SHOULD'VE KNOWN BETTER THEN.