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I am an Uber survivor

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Re: I am an Uber survivor

#201

Post by PhantomGremlin »

tyre wrote: post #175
bphogan wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. It's not an independent investigation if you hire the investigators.

Who else could hire the investigators? It's a tricky problem, but ultimately you rely on the investigators caring more about their reputation than any one contract. If it gets out that firm X doesn't do objective reviews, then future companies in hot water won't hire them. The real challenge here is that these investigators are not independent. Eric Holder has done prior work on behalf of Uber, which means he could r…

Who else could hire the investigators?

The independent directors on a company's board should hire the investigators, who then should report back to those directors.

Of course, in most startups, just like in many public companies, "independent" directors often aren't.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#202

Post by chickenfries »

mjolk wrote: post #160
jellicle wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what company do you work for?

My own. I'm not making claims of a sexist, racist, and hostile environment in a company, so for what it's worth, where I work isn't relevant.

Clearly you understand the possible risks to putting your real name behind your words, regardless of their veracity. Medium isn't a court of law, they don't owe anyone any evidence and you pointing out that there isn't any is implying that they have a reason to hide their name that isn't justified.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#205

Post by jimbokun »

I know this is politics and maybe distracting from the main conversation but...

The United States voters just decided similar behavior is not disqualifying for the office of President. So how can we possibly convince other men this kind of behavior is not conducive to attaining the money, power, and influence they may desire?

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#206

Post by x0x0 »

tyre wrote: post #175
bphogan wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. It's not an independent investigation if you hire the investigators.

Who else could hire the investigators? It's a tricky problem, but ultimately you rely on the investigators caring more about their reputation than any one contract. If it gets out that firm X doesn't do objective reviews, then future companies in hot water won't hire them. The real challenge here is that these investigators are not independent. Eric Holder has done prior work on behalf of Uber, which means he could r…

The board, to decide if it's time to fire Travis.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#207

Post by cosinetau »

sgterban wrote: post #157
cosinetau wrote: post #118

You can delete your Uber account here: https://help.uber.com/h/24010fe7-7a67-4ee5-9938-c734000b144a

I get a 404 past the telephone/email entry page...

You can delete it from the app, as well. http://www.imore.com/how-to-delete-your-uber-account

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#208

Post by sverige »

nappy-doo wrote: post #45
joezydeco wrote: post #28

"In essence, the HR department blackmailed me that if I make noise, I’d be fired. I was distraught by the HR department’s response especially considering that most of the HR folks I dealt with were women." Say it over and over, say it loud, and say it to every single person entering the US workforce from day one: H/R ACTS AND WILL ALWAYS ACT IN THE COMPANY'S BEST INTERESTS. NOT YOURS. Amy's situation was grave, and k…

> H/R ACTS AND WILL ALWAYS ACT IN THE COMPANY'S BEST INTERESTS. NOT YOURS. You're right, and here's the thing. It seems both women who've come forward would have open-and-shut cases against Uber for multi-millions in damages. It's surprising to me that neither have pursued Uber in this regard. Similarly, it's surprising to me that Uber HR hasn't done the mental calculus to figure out that these women have a solid cas…

Please don't misunderstand the following comment to mean that I am defending Uber. I quit using Uber over a year ago when I first learned of some of their business practices.

>It seems both women who've come forward would have open-and-shut cases against Uber for multi-millions in damages.

These cases are tough to win, even in a liberal jurisdiction like SF. For example, does "Amy" have any witnesses that are willing to testify about what they saw? Sure, a subpoena can compel them to testify, but if the men who were present are still working there, how likely is it that they are going to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth under questioning?

The calculus becomes "keep my current job that is paying my bills, and maybe get a raise/promotion soon" vs. "stick my neck out for someone who no longer works here."

Sure, there are good lawyers who could maybe trip them up, but now you're treating what should be friendly or neutral witnesses as hostile witnesses. And Uber has some good lawyers too, obviously.

Further, even if some of these guys have moved on to other companies, they have to calculate how testifying in Amy's favor might come back to bite them later. With a guy like Travis who lacks good character (according to all the accounts I've read, anyway), it will come back to bite them sooner than later.

So "open-and-shut" is usually not really at all, but rather a less than 50% chance of recovering damages after years of difficult litigation. Unless, of course, you have lots of really good documentary evidence that's admissible.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#209

Post by 234dd57d2c8dba »

I am skeptical of both sides of this who Uber thing. The employee side seems to be so dramatic with things like I am a "survivor". I'm sorry but no, POWs in a prison camp are survivors. Victims of violent crime are survivors. People willingly working for a legitimate company, accepting an 18% pay cut for no reason, and not realizing you should quit once you realized the company has a bunch of jerks in it, is kind of stupid. The author seems to be really dramatic and wants attention to make herself feel good for making poor decisions such as working for a lower salary.

I've had a lot of jobs, some good, some bad. I've had awful managers, on the same level as the ones described here. They would stab you in the back for anything. One of my best friends was insulted by our manager constantly for being weak and pathetic, among other things. He just shrugged and quit. I also didn't label myself a "survivor" though and whine about it. I just quit and found a better job. If your manager is a jerk and doesn't like you, he will find a way to insult you no matter what race or gender you are.

Also haven't seen any actual evidence with emails or anything, even for stories that were supposedly documented with emails.

Re: I am an Uber survivor

#210

Post by tyre »

I'm really happy she felt comfortable doing this. What an incredibly brave and strong person—I can't imagine what she must be feeling.

What I really want to see is the other 20 men on her team tell their bosses to cut that shit out.

We cannot rely on the abused to stand up for themselves; for every one who does there are thousands who cannot. It is on every one of us to report abhorrent behaviour, even if we think someone else has/will.

Change comes from those in power, from people who could very rationally not care, but who go out of their way to do the right thing. It isn't an economic decision, a business decision, or a political decision. It is a personal decision on the world one wants to live in.

We can do better. We must do better. Enough is enough.

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