by tiger3 on 6/22/17, 11:01 PM with 63 comments
by cocktailpeanuts on 6/23/17, 12:03 AM
I know for a fact that a lot of Uber employees nowadays can't talk freely outside about the fact that they work at Uber, when they used to be proud to talk about it just a couple of years ago.
I also know that many employees at Uber (men or women) are proud to work at the company, and again, too afraid to talk about it because the outside world will treat them like nazis.
Lastly, I'm pretty sure people will turn this into sexism discussion and call me a sexist, because they know no one can win over sexism. But I also know that if you ask Uber employees, most of them will say it's no different from working at any other tech company. But again, they can't say that out loud because they will be witch-hunted.
It's kind of sad that the Internet has become optimized for this type of witch hunt. A couple of years ago everyone wanted to get investment from Peter Thiel and "contrarian" beliefs were celebrated. But nowadays it's used as a tool for mockery because it's simply "hip" to talk shit about him. Same goes for Uber, not sure if you guys remember but if you think hard enough, just a few years ago Uber was celebrated as the "savior that fights for justice against the abusive taxi industry, even if it means operating in a gray zone". But nowadays media just loves to spin it as "Uber committed all kinds of illegal crimes, so the CEO has got to go"
Before I get downvoted to oblivion, let me emphasize that I'm not saying Uber is good. I'm saying we really need to stop witch hunt.
by davidf18 on 6/23/17, 12:34 AM
1000 people have "liked" the posting including Zuckerberg and a number of women have commented in support of TK.
EDIT:
This is from the FB poster, Margaret-Ann Seger. Other women seem to confirm her perspective. If it were truly a sexist culture as was claimed then you wouldn’t be seeing these testimonials. It suggests that despite everything, something else is going on.
“Thank you for creating a culture where- as a woman- it was okay to, no, encouraged to speak up. This is one of my oft less-told anecdotes, but I feel it's appropriate given the circumstances. Before Uber, I was at Facebook. I left Facebook because I was told that I was too aggressive. Pushing too hard, wanting to move too fast, challenging the status quo a bit too much. The amazing part is that coming to Uber was like a homecoming. I could be who I truly am, without being labeled an "aggressive" woman. I could push on assumptions, move quickly, do whatever work needed to be done whether it was "in my area" or not, question leadership in an open, earnest environment. It was like a breath of fresh air. I don't think people realize how unique this is. This company truly listens to every voice, from the VPs all the way down to the junior PMs like myself. Thank you. Thank you for listening and creating an environment where the best answer truly does win.”
by habosa on 6/23/17, 12:48 AM
Yes, obviously, many if not most Uber employees liked Travis. He built a huge company and made them a lot of money (on paper). He was an extremely effective businessman in spite of his personal shortcomings.
If you have 70, 80, or 90% of the company signing a petition then let's write some articles. For now, nothing to see here.
by benicelifeshort on 6/23/17, 12:11 AM
His mistake was not being technical or creative enough to scale the company's service without scaling the headcount.
The specific symptoms are not particularly interesting or novel. In fact they were entirely predictable and the company is surprisingly good for how poorly it was built.
There are a number of major pitfalls every company must avoid. He failed to avoid a fatal one.
by calbear81 on 6/23/17, 2:18 AM
The two other specific failures that also are hard to defend:
1) Rape report from the case in India - TK should have fired the exec for the violation of privacy and disrespect to the victim. The fact that he saw the report and didn't do much about it is a failure.
2) Otto mess - not going to assume he knew or did not know but it's a failure of judgement to drive that acquisition without properly making sure he didn't expose the company to such a high degree of legal risk.
At the end of the day, his reputation for risk and brashness cuts both ways. I lean towards believing he's someone who will do what it takes to win and I respect that. If you get caught though, be prepared to suffer the consequences if you cut a few corners getting there.
* BTW this shit isn't unique to Uber - anytime $BBBs are on the line, people will do things they might normally not do.
by drenvuk on 6/22/17, 11:52 PM
by sidlls on 6/22/17, 11:52 PM
No wonder there was a culture of apparently unrestrained adolescent male aggression. An adolescent male helped shape the guidelines.
by ivanbakel on 6/23/17, 12:12 AM
Does working hard absolve you of misdeeds?
by jph on 6/22/17, 11:52 PM
To understand it from the inside, the best source I've seen is Susan Fowler's post "Reflecting on one very strange year at Uber". https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/2/19/reflecting-on-on...
by dpflan on 6/22/17, 11:50 PM
by ensiferum on 6/22/17, 11:55 PM
by bfrog on 6/23/17, 12:54 AM
by jeremynixon on 6/23/17, 1:03 AM
I'm angry, sad, flustered, confused, but mostly just heartbroken. The only appropriate thing to say right now is thank you, Travis. Thank you for inspiring not only your own employees but an entire generation of entrepreneurs. Thank you for inspiring us to think bigger, faster, and higher-impact than anyone has ever dared to think before.
Thank you for creating a place where no idea was too crazy. When we told you that in order to make the product accessible for our international riders we would need to accept cash payments, you weren't thrilled but you were willing to give it a shot. When your employees told you that we needed to change some aspects of the internal culture, you were sad but you were all ears. Building the best possible product, the best possible company- it requires humility. Admitting you might be wrong and being open to change. I was always impressed by how truly humble you were.
Thank you for creating a place so passionate about bringing affordable, reliable transportation to the whole world that your employees all over the globe were willing to hop on planes, get on Zoom calls at bizarre hours of the day, manually onboard thousands of drivers, stand on street corners handing out flyers to riders, and build last-minute stunt products to help celebrate the communities they were a part of. I've seen firsthand the impact this product has had worldwide and the universal fire and passion that Uber employees all over the world have to constantly improve it, to always be serving drivers and riders better, and to perpetually push closer and closer to truly making transportation as reliable as running water, for everyone, everywhere.
Thank you for creating a culture where- as a woman- it was okay to, no, encouraged to speak up. This is one of my oft less-told anecdotes, but I feel it's appropriate given the circumstances. Before Uber, I was at Facebook. I left Facebook because I was told that I was too aggressive. Pushing too hard, wanting to move too fast, challenging the status quo a bit too much. The amazing part is that coming to Uber was like a homecoming. I could be who I truly am, without being labeled an "aggressive" woman. I could push on assumptions, move quickly, do whatever work needed to be done whether it was "in my area" or not, question leadership in an open, earnest environment. It was like a breath of fresh air. I don't think people realize how unique this is. This company truly listens to every voice, from the VPs all the way down to the junior PMs like myself. Thank you. Thank you for listening and creating an environment where the best answer truly does win. And thank you on behalf of your riders and drivers. You've created millions of earning opportunities for drivers all over the world. From the part-time student teacher driver to the full-time driver in India, these are real economic opportunities at an unprecedented scale. I'm always amazed talking to drivers in India or Indonesia or Mexico or Kenya- their story is not too dissimilar from the drivers I talk to on my way home from work in SF. Uber has allowed them to build a better life for their family- to send their kids to school, to work more flexible hours so that they can be there for their family. Not to mention the newfound mobility that Uber affords millions upon millions worldwide. Elderly folks & teens can now access their city, stress-free. People can go out for a drink- or three- and get home safely without endangering those around them. Uber is fundamentally reshaping people's transportation habits and how they interact with their cities. This kind of impact would have been unthinkable only a few years ago, but we've made it a reality- thanks to your vision.
So thank you. We've mis-stepped at times- I'll be the first to admit that Uber is not perfect. But the positive impact you've had on this company, and the world, is truly inspirational.
Goodbyes always suck. Thanks to the OG Builder.
by draw_down on 6/22/17, 11:58 PM
by athanas on 6/22/17, 11:56 PM
You're a judge in this trial. You've heard the prosecution make a very eloquent case. You've been convinced. You've delivered your verdict. And the sentence has been executed.
But wait. Didn't we skip a step? Is there a missing step in this procedure? Perhaps that's a good exercise for the reader.
by 65827 on 6/22/17, 11:57 PM
Some people just like to be told what to do I guess.
by dixie_land on 6/23/17, 12:06 AM