Uber CEO to take leave • Hacker News Board

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#31

Post by exogeny » Tue, Jun 13, 2017, 5:33 PM UTC

dvt wrote: post #21

I really don't buy the Travis Kalanik hate. Yeah, Uber started out as your typical SV unicorn (bro warts and all). Yeah, Uber's entire business model can be described as "grey-area" at best and its business practices as sometimes exploitative. But this is exactly how you're supposed to run a massively successful startup in its first decade. This is exactly how FB started out. And this follows every rule in the startu…

He presided over a culture of widespread sexual harassment that has been echoed repeatedly by multiple employees and you don't really understand why he's being criticized?

Cool story, bro.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#32

Post by golbez » Tue, Jun 13, 2017, 5:34 PM UTC

booleanbetrayal wrote: post #13

Travis Kalanick is not being stripped of several of his responsibilities because his mother died.

yep. this is the end of the convo. people trying to say "his mom died" is the reason he's built a toxic culture probably have no real attachment to how leaders respond to difficult situaitons.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#33

Post by malandrew » Tue, Jun 13, 2017, 5:34 PM UTC

golbez wrote: post #25

dvt wrote: post #21

I really don't buy the Travis Kalanik hate. Yeah, Uber started out as your typical SV unicorn (bro warts and all). Yeah, Uber's entire business model can be described as "grey-area" at best and its business practices as sometimes exploitative. But this is exactly how you're supposed to run a massively successful startup in its first decade. This is exactly how FB started out. And this follows every rule in the startu…

"Bro, Hitler built schools too" gimme a break. stop giving people an excuse because they know how to have people build something good. leaders fail when they treat people like shit.

dang, can we ban any account that exercises Godwin's Law? It always lowers the quality of discourse.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#34

Post by toomuchtodo » Tue, Jun 13, 2017, 5:35 PM UTC

exogeny wrote: post #22

toomuchtodo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm not sure what TK leaving does to stem that Matt Levine at Bloomberg explained the benefit of Uber getting itself in order while TK is on leave: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-06-12/mortgages... "Doesn't it seem like a great idea? Everyone understands that Uber needs some change, needs some adults in the room to rein in Kalanick. But it's hard to find someone who wants to waltz in, shake Kalanick's…

I was prefacing it more in terms of the trickle-down effect; literally thousands of people have been hired into a culture that was mandated by Kalanick. (See PatrickAuld's post on this thread.) Just because he goes away doesn't mean that they all do; if anything, they might view what's happening to Travis as unnecessary, or worse, unfair. Ergo, there's a ton of timebombs ticking away all over that place. Very possibl…

If leadership is replaced and strengthened, the rest of the corporate structure will fall in line or be terminated. Culture comes from the top.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#35

Post by bjl » Tue, Jun 13, 2017, 5:35 PM UTC

zoomzippity wrote: post #18

mothers wrote: post #3

One of his parents died and the other was severely injured, no? Who wouldn't take leave under those circumstances?

Buried at the very very bottom of the article as a footnote. Glossing over the tragedy of unexpectedly losing one's mother and almost losing One's father. The media reporting on Uber absolutely disgusts me and demonstrates a culture far more toxic than anything I've heard about Uber. My bet is that the media doesn't make public any email from Travis about this because it will likely show how the media is grossly misr…

So Greyball was fake? How about their Hell program? Or the fact that one of their executives illegally acquired a rape victims medical reports and circulated them around the office?

Uber has continuously demonstrated a total disregard for both the law and common decency. They lost the benefit of the doubt a long time ago.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#36

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jun 13, 2017, 5:35 PM UTC

nolok wrote: post #28

golbez wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Bro, Hitler built schools too" gimme a break. stop giving people an excuse because they know how to have people build something good. leaders fail when they treat people like shit.

> "Bro, Hitler built schools too" There mere fact that you compare him to Hitler, even as a joke, makes his point about how ridiculous your views are. If anything, compare him to Gates.

[deleted]

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#37

Post by ams6110 » Tue, Jun 13, 2017, 5:35 PM UTC

zoomzippity wrote: post #18

mothers wrote: post #3

One of his parents died and the other was severely injured, no? Who wouldn't take leave under those circumstances?

Buried at the very very bottom of the article as a footnote. Glossing over the tragedy of unexpectedly losing one's mother and almost losing One's father. The media reporting on Uber absolutely disgusts me and demonstrates a culture far more toxic than anything I've heard about Uber. My bet is that the media doesn't make public any email from Travis about this because it will likely show how the media is grossly misr…

Most media reporting is disgusting and written primarily to get page views. Facts are selected to support the narrative they are pushing.

That doesn't excuse Kalanik and the way he ran the company.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#38

Post by golbez » Tue, Jun 13, 2017, 5:36 PM UTC

malandrew wrote: post #33

golbez wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Bro, Hitler built schools too" gimme a break. stop giving people an excuse because they know how to have people build something good. leaders fail when they treat people like shit.

dang, can we ban any account that exercises Godwin's Law? It always lowers the quality of discourse.

OK how about "Bill Cosby also had a popular children's show"

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#39

Post by dvt » Tue, Jun 13, 2017, 5:37 PM UTC

exogeny wrote: post #31

dvt wrote: post #21

I really don't buy the Travis Kalanik hate. Yeah, Uber started out as your typical SV unicorn (bro warts and all). Yeah, Uber's entire business model can be described as "grey-area" at best and its business practices as sometimes exploitative. But this is exactly how you're supposed to run a massively successful startup in its first decade. This is exactly how FB started out. And this follows every rule in the startu…

He presided over a culture of widespread sexual harassment that has been echoed repeatedly by multiple employees and you don't really understand why he's being criticized? Cool story, bro.

Uber has 12000 employees; 20 were reprimanded for sexual harassment. That's 0.001%

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#40

Post by ams6110 » Tue, Jun 13, 2017, 5:38 PM UTC

dvt wrote: post #21

I really don't buy the Travis Kalanik hate. Yeah, Uber started out as your typical SV unicorn (bro warts and all). Yeah, Uber's entire business model can be described as "grey-area" at best and its business practices as sometimes exploitative. But this is exactly how you're supposed to run a massively successful startup in its first decade. This is exactly how FB started out. And this follows every rule in the startu…

> There was literally nothing wrong with the email

I have worked in tech for 30 years and have never seen anything even approaching the content of that email. It was completely unprofessional in every way.