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Uber president Jeff Jones is quitting

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Re: Uber president Jeff Jones is quitting

#141

Post by fredophile »

throwawaysbdi wrote: post #85
loudin wrote: post #77

Serious question - why hasn't the Uber board replaced Kalanick yet? While it is indisputable he successfully brought Uber to where it is now, it doesn't seem like he has the good judgement to be leading Uber at this stage of the company's lifecycle. Wouldn't the best thing for the company at this point be a complete overhaul of leadership?

Why replace him? He's publicly unpopular but the company is worth more than ever, and the investors care most about money. Why get rid of him when they're plenty of ways to spin the narrative. Like making unrelated but scandalous sounding press releases, and finding an occasional fall guy

Because when you have an unpopular leader making decisions that are unpopular with customers you lose those customers. I no longer use Uber and don't see myself using them again until he leaves.

More recently I've been considering closing my Amex card now that they've partnered with Uber.

Re: Uber president Jeff Jones is quitting

#142

Post by jacquesm »

rodgerd wrote: post #133
jacquesm wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most likely thing that happened was that Jones said 'you go or I go' and that that ended with him going. Without inside knowledge that's speculative but this is how these things usually play out when founders dig in against a new outsider. The letter feels like spin to reduce the feeling of a fractured company towards the rest of the cadre. Not that they will be fooled (for long, anyway). Anyway, it's Travis Kala…

> The most likely thing that happened was that Jones said 'you go or I go' and that that ended with him going. It's entirely possible (and more likely) that he said "these people need to go" and got told "no, they're high performers we can't do without."

Well, those 'high performers' are a liability more than they are an asset at the moment so that would have been a very bad call. Uber is not exactly SpaceX and any 'high performers' that think they are so above the law that they get to destroy the company culture and cause a tsunami of bad press should be sacked pronto.

Nothing less will start to stem the tide.

Re: Uber president Jeff Jones is quitting

#143

Post by a3n »

794CD01 wrote: post #125
dralley wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uber's rates are already unsustainably low. Competition is one thing but unhealthy, unsustainable competition is another thing entirely. It's probably for the best that rates go up a bit.

Best for who? It's better for riders if rates stay unsustainably low and they can get discounted rides at the expense of VCs.

Best for people who want these new services to continue.

Re: Uber president Jeff Jones is quitting

#144

Post by user5994461 »

jimmywanger wrote: post #49
dharmon wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's an important difference: compensation. If a losing team wants a winning coach, they will either have to settle for someone inexperienced, or pay up to get someone experienced in turnaround situations. Same with companies, except with turnarounds the most substantial part of compensation is the company's stock. If the turnaround is successful, the executive will get wildly rich as the stock appreciates (and ri…

> pay up to get someone experienced in turnaround situations. To your point, in the business world, if you've already gone through the turnaround experience, you're probably already very well compensated. The one big thing that you can dangle in front of good candidates is a more powerful position or more responsibility. Hire a COO into a CEO position, or give a proven head coach power over personnel decisions. Other…

> To your point, in the business world, if you've already gone through the turnaround experience, you're probably already very well compensated.

And you have a name and a position and a network and influence at your company.

Money is worth peanuts compared to that!

What's the risk of taking an hypothetical 50M from Uber, it's gonna be trying to fuck you over with ISOs and sexually harass you, whereas you can take 5M a year at your current company safely and with great success for the next decade.

Keeping a successful ship successful is hard work. There is nothing a distressed ship has to offer you.

Re: Uber president Jeff Jones is quitting

#145

Post by M_Grey »

robg wrote: post #140
djsumdog wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's dangerous to make predictions like that. We've seen worse companies last longer. In the 2008 financial crisis, people from the bottom to the top committed outright fraud; swallowing up other banks whole (PNC bought National City for $5 billion; then got a $5 billion tax credit .. they bought National City for free .. NC wasn't allowed to apply for TARP). Ford sold tank treads to Germany. IBM made punch cards for…

Let's not forget Bayer... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayer#World_War_II

...Who also made and make lots of money. I don't think that anyone is disputing that absolute scumbags can stay in power if they make people money, but Uber... loses... money.

Re: Uber president Jeff Jones is quitting

#147

Post by CydeWeys »

aianus wrote: post #139
CydeWeys wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are you so blase about jumping into a toxic work environment? A little bit more money isn't worth those conditions, assuming you could even get it. And keep in mind that a lot of the compensation is going to be in Uber equity -- which is affected by this scandal.

The people I know at Uber don't think it's a toxic work environment and I have no reason to distrust them in favor of a couple of accusatory blog posts from disgruntled ex-employees that I've never met.

The people I know at Uber say differently. But whatever, it's your life and your decision. I wouldn't go work there now.

Re: Uber president Jeff Jones is quitting

#148

Post by tyingq »

jacquesm wrote: post #142
rodgerd wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The most likely thing that happened was that Jones said 'you go or I go' and that that ended with him going. It's entirely possible (and more likely) that he said "these people need to go" and got told "no, they're high performers we can't do without."

Well, those 'high performers' are a liability more than they are an asset at the moment so that would have been a very bad call. Uber is not exactly SpaceX and any 'high performers' that think they are so above the law that they get to destroy the company culture and cause a tsunami of bad press should be sacked pronto. Nothing less will start to stem the tide.

The comment you're replying to is referencing the same "high performer" reasoning cited by Susan Fowler. Probably not endorsing the practice, just noting it exists.

Re: Uber president Jeff Jones is quitting

#149

Post by simplicio »

djsumdog wrote: post #118
M_Grey wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the most polite and urbane way possible, he's calling them toxic; in a world full of pretty toxic people and practices, he's calling them out. Until this moment I wasn't sold on the idea that Uber was going to actually die from this, now...

It's dangerous to make predictions like that. We've seen worse companies last longer. In the 2008 financial crisis, people from the bottom to the top committed outright fraud; swallowing up other banks whole (PNC bought National City for $5 billion; then got a $5 billion tax credit .. they bought National City for free .. NC wasn't allowed to apply for TARP). Ford sold tank treads to Germany. IBM made punch cards for…

The difference here is that Uber doesn't have much of value except their brand. Their industry has a low barrier to entry, their work force isn't tied to the company and they don't have much in the way of IP. Their ability to ride out bad press is a lot more limited than companies that can fall back on those things.

(well, they also have a giant pile of cash. But their ability to raise that cash is obviously dependent on what investors think of their brand)

Re: Uber president Jeff Jones is quitting

#150

Post by ryhamz »

djsumdog wrote: post #118
M_Grey wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the most polite and urbane way possible, he's calling them toxic; in a world full of pretty toxic people and practices, he's calling them out. Until this moment I wasn't sold on the idea that Uber was going to actually die from this, now...

It's dangerous to make predictions like that. We've seen worse companies last longer. In the 2008 financial crisis, people from the bottom to the top committed outright fraud; swallowing up other banks whole (PNC bought National City for $5 billion; then got a $5 billion tax credit .. they bought National City for free .. NC wasn't allowed to apply for TARP). Ford sold tank treads to Germany. IBM made punch cards for…

All of those companies turn a huge profit.
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