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Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber

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Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber

#661

Post by ryandrake »

someone13 wrote: post #389
uber_031917 wrote: post #172

Uber employee here. This was a disheartening story to read to say the least. I hope that she sues as her case is abundantly clear and the response by HR and the management chain was absolutely unacceptable. If what happened is true, they should be held accountable. Unfortunately, from my perspective, Uber has a track record of lack of accountability when it comes to leadership/managers. Pretty much everyone I know at…

I mean this in the nicest way possible, so please don't take this as anything personally directed at you, but: any employee of Uber that feels strongly about this should find another company to work at. If you're working in tech, in the current employment market in the Bay Area, finding another job is not hard. Not easy, both in the sense that leaving a job can be scary, and that interviews can be draining - but doab…

Finding "a job" may not be hard if you're not looking for top companies. Finding a place with comparable pay/equity/benefits to your current gig? Not easy, even in the Bay Area.

Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber

#663

Post by ryandrake »

nicksergeant wrote: post #438
polemic wrote: post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fools gold, pretty soon.

This. I would be ashamed to have Uber on my resume for much longer after this story ran, and will think twice when interviewing a candidate who does.

Come on... "You're super smart, competent at the job, and are a good fit culturally here. BUT, you worked at Company X 5 years ago, and they did something unethical, so we're not going to hire you!" - said no hiring manager ever.

Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber

#664

Post by Baeocystin »

SeoxyS wrote: post #595
toothbrush wrote: post #465

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As for team dynamics, it means we know each other better and bond more frequently. Not a problem, I think. Except for the non-drinkers in your team. I suspect that they either a) feel left out, because a non-drinker at a pub has a boring time, and has to keep justifying their empty glass b) probably miss out on important decisions if a majority of the important people in a team are present, which is bad dynamics c)…

Drink soda water w/ bitters. Looks like a drink, tastes good, and satisfies anyone actually drinking. I drink regularly; but every now and then I'll go a week or month without drinking. I'm currently in the middle of one of these periods; but I've still gone out to happy hour or events that involved drinking every day since it's started. I manage to have just as much fun sober drinking soda + bitters.

Slightly OT, but do you have a recommendation for bitters other than Angostura? I like it, but I'd like to diversify my home cabinet.

Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber

#665

Post by Baeocystin »

scrollaway wrote: post #639
toothbrush wrote: post #465

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As for team dynamics, it means we know each other better and bond more frequently. Not a problem, I think. Except for the non-drinkers in your team. I suspect that they either a) feel left out, because a non-drinker at a pub has a boring time, and has to keep justifying their empty glass b) probably miss out on important decisions if a majority of the important people in a team are present, which is bad dynamics c)…

With rare exceptions, I'm a non-drinker. Nowhere in Europe have I ever had an issue ordering a coke instead of an alcoholic drink, even when hanging out with people getting completely shitfaced. Is this seriously a thing in the US? Feeling like you have to drink if you're surrounded by people drinking? I keep hearing stories like that. Nobody is going to judge you for not consuming alcohol - if anyone does, they're c…

It's not a problem for anyone other than the overly self-conscious, who are looking for reasons to explain their anxiety. Literally no one cares.

Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber

#666

Post by blazespin »

YPCrumble wrote: post #420
minimaxir wrote: post #414

Travis Kalanick's response: https://twitter.com/travisk/status/833480964315557888 > 1/ What's described here is abhorrent & against everything we believe in. Anyone who behaves this way or thinks this is OK will be fired. > 2/ I've instructed our CHRO Liane to conduct an urgent investigation. There can be absolutely no place for this kind of behavior at Uber.

It's a shame that he condones harassment until it reaches the top of hacker news.

Maybe that's why he hired a new CHRO.

Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber

#667

Post by orthoganol »

uber_eng_throw wrote: post #137
logandavis wrote: post #69

By all indications, Uber has a toxic work culture that costs them both top talent and organizational velocity. I'm a college senior at a well-regarded engineering school. My CS classmates - especially women - simply do not apply to Uber, in large part because of its reputation for internal misogyny and general assholery. Four classmates interned there last summer, and as far as I know none are interested in returning…

Hijacking this top comment to provide some personal experiences. I started as an engineer in the spring of 2014 and this was definitely the case there. Top engineers were being poached from Google/FB and these people were trying to carve out territory in a quickly growing engineering team. The misogynistic culture, in my mind, comes from most of the early employees being former frat bros. Culture was extremely heavy…

"Workcation" is an incredible idea, as is letting employees work remotely for x weeks/ months per year from wherever they want. Even though it's not vacation-vacation it's still a revitalizing, memory forming experience, and if you want a happy motivated work force, I think it's a great idea.

That and a sound proof studio with piano on premise would be enough to make me quit my job.

That said Uber's been on my douchebag radar at least since their execs bragged about threatening journalists. Hopefully your acquaintances already sold their shares on secondary markets because losing ~3 billion a year would worry me if I was expecting to get rich from them.

Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber

#668

Post by dmritard96 »

misingnoglic wrote: post #565
dmritard96 wrote: post #529

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it is interesting that sex is the hot button. in general we special case sex in the US. While I dont mean to say sexual harrasment isnt a real problem, its interesting to me more philosophically that propositioning for sex is ultra problematic but propostioning for a platonic relationship is less so, or drinking, or anything else beyond strict job fulfillment labor. its obviously a problem when a power dynamic is abu…

I would say that if the manager asked her out on a platonic date on her first week, that would be almost as wildly inappropriate.

My experience at a former company was that the management would plan a group happy hour and there was a ton of pressure to participate. This in particular hurt those that had families or other priorities and advantaged those that were younger and more willing to drink. I was young and willing enough to go along with drinking but personally felt this was more a requirement since so much in the way of promotions and getting put on the best projects was who you knew on top of technical competency. I will say the dynamic is different when its a one on one socializing vs team outings but in general I think its quite complex. There is no doubt that what happened is wrong, kept happening and constitutes sexual harassment, but its weird to me that sexual harassment so overwhelmingly gets attention when the cultural problems with orgs like this are so much deeper.

Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber

#669

Post by mncolinlee »

blhack wrote: post #277
bootload wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Culture was extremely heavy on the drinking;" For me this is a red flag. Booze + programming == pissed programming This leads to bad code also bad team dynamics. Ultimately this will reflect on the product and bottom line. For individuals this reads like a culture where the barrel is creating ^bad apples^. Not a good look on a resume.

I have to be honest, I know a lot of people who claim that they can write really good code if they've been drinking. I just absolutely do not understand how that is even possible. If I have ONE beer, it throws off my ability to write good code, or hold all of the concepts in my head. One of the weekly coworking meetups I go to always ends at a brewery (there is a brewery next door to the hackerspace where it is held)…

There is something called the Ballmer Peak, which has even been demonstrated in one study. Up to a point, the theory goes, creative work benefits from mild intoxication. Beyond that point, productivity goes out the window. For me, I believe that point is around two drinks. For you, it could be teaspoons. Either way, I wouldn't generally drink before the end of the work day.

Personally, I find coding is hardest when you're blocked or stumped. Sometimes it helps to turn off the inner critic and experiment with code in a way that might feel unproductive during normal work hours. How I approach a problem outside of work is my business as long as the solution is solid.

This should go without saying, but everyone's physiology is different. While most people get drowsy from pseudoeffedrine, it makes me hyper. That's why even if one treatment works for most people, it might not work for you.

Re: Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber

#670

Post by tezka »

flootch wrote: post #474
uber_eng_throw wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hijacking this top comment to provide some personal experiences. I started as an engineer in the spring of 2014 and this was definitely the case there. Top engineers were being poached from Google/FB and these people were trying to carve out territory in a quickly growing engineering team. The misogynistic culture, in my mind, comes from most of the early employees being former frat bros. Culture was extremely heavy…

Did any of you folks talk about the enormously unethical ways you treat drivers? Those folks who are mostly poorer than you who do the actual work that provides value? I find it laughable to hear Uber engineers cry about how unfairly Kalanick treats them. Self-awareness 0.

this is almost on the same level of stupidity as "All lives matter".
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