Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Uber CEO calls Saudi murder of Khashoggi “a mistake,” scrambles to backtrack

axios.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 125 posts

Re: Uber CEO calls Saudi murder of Khashoggi “a mistake,” scrambles to backtrack

#31

Post by Udo »

navigatesol wrote: post #9

Silicon Valley is in bed with the Saudis, no surprise here. Meanwhile, the shrieks coming from California about Trump are deafening.

Not only Silicon Valley. I struggle to see the relation to the Trump administration here, but in any case they are deeply in the Saudis' pockets as well, same as with any other administration that came before. To paint the SA regime and the US leadership to be somehow in opposition to one another doesn't really make sense. The cold hard fact is that they need each other and act accordingly.

Re: Uber CEO calls Saudi murder of Khashoggi “a mistake,” scrambles to backtrack

#33

Post by astura »

Bombthecat wrote: post #23

Saudi Arabia invested heavily in uber. Just FYI.

Yeah, It's mentioned in the article

>Khosrowshahi’s call for forgiveness of the Saudis, Uber’s fifth largest investor, included a callous comparison to the company’s missteps in the self-driving technology space where, in March 2018, one of its vehicles accidentally struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona.

Re: Uber CEO calls Saudi murder of Khashoggi “a mistake,” scrambles to backtrack

#34

Post by gatherhunterer »

The headline should reflect that he has since acknowledged that this was a stupid thing to say and that he claims he does not believe it. It is telling to see the lengths to which one will go to please the Saudis. First you say something in public to show fealty to the authoritarian then you categorically retract the statement and apologize. Most people will never hear the retraction because most people won’t read the article but those who do business with him will do so, allowing him to save face while losing some little-valued public dignity. The news media plays into this perfectly because they will twist the story to be as clickable as possible; he is not referred to by name but rather by position and his retraction is not in the headline because maximum outrage begets maximum clicks.

Re: Uber CEO calls Saudi murder of Khashoggi “a mistake,” scrambles to backtrack

#35

Post by jacquesm »

whafro wrote: post #16

There were so many other things he could have said and not created this maelstrom – "Of course Mr. Khashoggi's murder was reprehensible and inexcusable, but we're told by the Crown Prince that it was a rogue operation, and we trust that's the case. If a member of our board were involved in this sort of heinous act, I would be asking for his or her resignation." But he didn't, and squirmed with a few "well, you're obv…

> but we're told by the Crown Prince that it was a rogue operation, and we trust that's the case

We also believe in:

- the tooth fairy

- SantaClaus

And many other such examples besides. All that wriggling in order not to find a reason to resign and show some conscience. Either that or be blunt about it, what he really should have said was:

"Yes, Khashoggi was murdered. My investors unfortunately are lying murderous scum but I still have a company to run."

Re: Uber CEO calls Saudi murder of Khashoggi “a mistake,” scrambles to backtrack

#36

Post by navigatesol »

astura wrote: post #33
Bombthecat wrote: post #23

Saudi Arabia invested heavily in uber. Just FYI.

Yeah, It's mentioned in the article >Khosrowshahi’s call for forgiveness of the Saudis, Uber’s fifth largest investor, included a callous comparison to the company’s missteps in the self-driving technology space where, in March 2018, one of its vehicles accidentally struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona.

>Khosrowshahi’s call for forgiveness of the Saudis

The Saudis planned and carried out the brutal murder of minor dissident on foreign soil. Forgiveness? This is embarrassing. Where are the SV overlords, calling this out?

Re: Uber CEO calls Saudi murder of Khashoggi “a mistake,” scrambles to backtrack

#37

Post by testplzignore »

whafro wrote: post #16

There were so many other things he could have said and not created this maelstrom – "Of course Mr. Khashoggi's murder was reprehensible and inexcusable, but we're told by the Crown Prince that it was a rogue operation, and we trust that's the case. If a member of our board were involved in this sort of heinous act, I would be asking for his or her resignation." But he didn't, and squirmed with a few "well, you're obv…

This isn't the traditional learning on the job. He won't be given any second chances. I expect he'll resign or be fired by tomorrow.

Re: Uber CEO calls Saudi murder of Khashoggi “a mistake,” scrambles to backtrack

#38

Post by goatinaboat »

Udo wrote: post #31
navigatesol wrote: post #9

Silicon Valley is in bed with the Saudis, no surprise here. Meanwhile, the shrieks coming from California about Trump are deafening.

Not only Silicon Valley. I struggle to see the relation to the Trump administration here, but in any case they are deeply in the Saudis' pockets as well, same as with any other administration that came before. To paint the SA regime and the US leadership to be somehow in opposition to one another doesn't really make sense. The cold hard fact is that they need each other and act accordingly.

I struggle to see the relation to the Trump administration here

The OP is calling out the double standard. Accusing Trump of sexism while taking money from those who literally practice an entire lifestyle based on oppression of women, death to gays, etc.

Uber, WeWork, others are all perfectly happy to accept money from these highly dubious source. Adam Neumann talks about saving the environment while living large on oil money...

Re: Uber CEO calls Saudi murder of Khashoggi “a mistake,” scrambles to backtrack

#40

Post by navigatesol »

Udo wrote: post #31
navigatesol wrote: post #9

Silicon Valley is in bed with the Saudis, no surprise here. Meanwhile, the shrieks coming from California about Trump are deafening.

Not only Silicon Valley. I struggle to see the relation to the Trump administration here, but in any case they are deeply in the Saudis' pockets as well, same as with any other administration that came before. To paint the SA regime and the US leadership to be somehow in opposition to one another doesn't really make sense. The cold hard fact is that they need each other and act accordingly.

>I struggle to see the relation to the Trump administration here

SV CEOs and "personalities" refuse to sit on panels or visit the White House because they hate Trump and his administration. But they'll take money from Saudi Arabia. It's very hard to understand.

Post reply on HN