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Uber CEO to take leave

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Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#51

Post by mtkd »

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 is likely more to the story - the volume of negative stories across all mediums really stinks - I fully expect it to come out that negativity was heavily funded at some point

I get some newsworthy things have happened there - but you'd expect that with such explosive/disruptive growth story

I know a lot of people who use Uber - they love the service - and it's become a verb - the online/media profile I see of the company has no resemblance to how everyone I interact with see it irl

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#52

Post by exogeny »

dvt wrote: post #39
exogeny wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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%

Yeah, and at other companies, they're handled internally with respect and compassion. That's why you don't read about them in Medium posts where the employee repeatedly points to appalling failures within the organization.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#53

Post by jartelt »

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 could have toned down the "playboy flair" and bro attitude as the company got larger and many of these PR issues would have been avoided (or would have been less of an issue). Perhaps just tell the cab driver that you will look into the issue rather than try to win an argument. Many of the things he has done are not wrong in a vacuum, but are not the right way of doing things when you want to run an inclusive company with a good culture.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#54

Post by geodel »

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…

I agree with most of what you said. But I guess what you are missing is that huge outrage machines like Twitter, FB and new generation online media did not existed 10 years back or at least in this form and with such global reach.

So many powerful people in past have had it easy for their less than perfect behavior.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#55

Post by TarpitCarnivore »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #47
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…

ruthless business leader That's what people don't like. The people who are most vocal don't like the "do anything it takes" approach.

Being a ruthless business leader does not mean allowing a toxic culture to exist under your leadership.

Being ruthless doesn't mean sending an executive to another country to get medical records on someone who is filing a lawsuit.

It doesn't mean having an HR department that ignores sexual harassment

If you cannot separate the two then that's a very big problem

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#56

Post by unethical_ban »

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #46
ams6110 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Losing a parent is a shock, especially when it happens in an unexpected manner like this, but it's something everyone faces and most people don't take extended leaves from work as a result.

I suspect this forum is mostly teens and twenty somethings. We all lose a parent(s). It happened to me and it'll happen to you. It happens all the time with your coworkers, you just don't notice it. People don't take a year off to 'find themselves' after losing a parent. They suddenly have a funeral to plan (and pay for) and then get back to their jobs. That's life. Also, if you want to get into boating, don't let an…

People who have to work to maintain housing and a family don't take a year off after losing someone close.

If you have the money and the ability, and the pain is hard enough, why would it be unreasonable to take time off? I haven't lost a parent yet, but I would probably want more than a weekend to grieve.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#57

Post by NathanKP »

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…

This isn't just the press covering Uber in a negative way.

I had been hearing horrible stories in private from former and current Uber engineers for several years before the first big press stories broke and personal blogs about Uber went viral. I wasn't surprised in the slightest that the press starting covering these Uber culture issues in a negative way, I was surprised that it took so long before they picked up the story and did.

Several engineers that I have talked to over the years had already been turning down Uber recruiters specifically because of Uber's culture problems, and I had already turned down their recruiters a few times as well as recommended to others to do the same. Their culture has been hurting the company for a long time, and its long past time for them to do something about it. If that means Kalanik needs to be ousted then they should just go ahead and do it now.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#58

Post by wavefunction »

bjl wrote: post #35
zoomzippity wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Kalanick was aware and had seen the rape victim's health records and apparently it was an attempt (by Emil?) to figure out how to discredit the victim and her accusations.

These are horrific people and while I sympathize with Kalanick over the loss of his mother and his father's situation, I do not wish him any professional success.

Re: Uber CEO to take leave

#60

Post by [deleted] »

ams6110 wrote: post #40
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.

[deleted]
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