Uber Hires Eric Holder To Investigate Sexual Harassment Claims

UBER HAS HIRED
ERIC HOLDER IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE CLAIMS THAT THERE IS
WIDESPREAD SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND
MISOGYNY AT THE COMPANY.
THIS HAPPENED AFTER ONE OF THE TOP
ENGINEERS LEFT THE COMPANY AND WROTE A BLOG ABOUT HER
EXPERIENCE ABOUT HER ONE YEAR STINT THERE.
SHE WROTE A VERY
LONG PIECE EXPLAINING IN A DETAILED WAY WHAT OCCURRED.
LATER ON, SHE HAD LUNCH WITH A BUNCH OF WOMEN WHO WORKED AT THE
COMPANY.
SHE WAS SURPRISED TO
FIND OUT THAT WASN'T THE FIRST TIME HE HAD DONE IT.
HE HAD DONE
THE SAME THING TO OTHER WOMEN AND THEY HAD COMPLAINED TO HR,
AND THEY GOT THE SAME ANSWER.
IT WAS HIS FIRST OFFENSE, AND HE
HAS A HIGH PERFORMER, BUT IF IT
HAPPENS AGAINÖ
>>IF HER RECOUNTING OF THE MEMO IS TRUE THAT THEY SAID IT IS HIS
FIRST OFFENSE AND HE IS A HIGH PERFORMER, THAT DOES SUGGEST
THAT THERE WOULD BE A CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE THEY ARE LIKE
YEAH, IT WAS HIS FIRST OFFENSE
BUT HE IS NOT THAT GOOD AT HIS JOB, SO WE WILL FIRE HIM.
WHICH
SUGGESTS A DEGREE OF
UNPRINCIPLED ñ THEY SHOULD SIMPLY SAY IT IS HIS FIRST
OFFENSE, WE TAKE IT SERIOUSLY, IT WILL BE PUT IN HIS FILE AND
IF THERE IS ANOTHER TRANSGRESSION THERE WILL BE
FURTHER DISCIPLINE.
NOT HE IS REALLY GOOD AT HIS JOB SO WE WILL GIVE HIM THREE
CHANCES.
THEORETICALLY THAT SHOULD NOT
MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
>>GREAT POINT.
>> AGAIN IF THAT IS RIGHT, THAT IS LITERALLY THE WORST HR
REPRESENTATIVE IN THE WORLD.
THAT IS AN HR REPRESENTATIVE THAT NEEDS TO GO TO HR.
>> ALSO THE CEO OF UBER HAS SPOKEN OUT SAYING THAT HE TAKES
THE ALLEGATIONS SERIOUSLY AND WANTS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
IMMEDIATELY.
AGAIN HE IS TAKING IT SO SERIOUSLY THAT THE UBER
BOARD WHICH INCLUDES ARIANNA
HUFFINGTON HAS DECIDED THEY ARE GOING TO HIRE ERIC HOLDER TO
INVESTIGATE.
ARIANNA HUFFINGTON IS GOING TO BE PART OF THE INVESTIGATION
IN SOME WAY WHICH I FIND INTERESTING.
>>THIS IS THE KIND OF JOB THAT FORMER ATTORNEY GENERALS WOULD
GET.
THIS IS A GOOD JOB.
I AM GLAD TO SEE UBER APPEAR TO TAKE
IT SERIOUSLY.
IF ERIC HOLDER
DOES HIS JOB AND I IMAGINE THAT TRAVIS MIGHT, I DON'T KNOW, HE
BETTER BE TELLING THE TRUTH IF HE SAYS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
IT HAS COME TO HIS ATTENTION.
IF
IT IS NOT, THEN THAT IS PROBABLY ñ
IN OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES IT WOULD BE UN-SURVIVABLE.
>>UBER HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN A BUNCH OF MISSTEPS RECENTLY.
I
DON'T KNOW IF IT IS ALL FAIR CRITICISM OF WHAT IS GOING ON,
BUT I DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME ISSUES IN TERMS OF
OVERSIGHT AND EVALUATIONS.
THAT IS NOT A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM, BUT
IT HAS HAPPENED ENOUGH WHERE IT
DOES RAISE A FEW RED FLAGS.
THAT IS NOT TO COMPLAIN HUBER, BUT
THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH OF A
BACKGROUND CHECK, OR ENOUGH OVERSIGHT TO ENSURE THAT YOU
MINIMIZE THOSE TYPES OF RISKS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
I THINK THIS
KIND OF BEHAVIOR HAPPENS AT EVERY OFFICE.
IS NOT A QUESTION
OF WHETHER OR NOT IT HAPPENS.
IN MY OPINION IT IS A QUESTION OF
HOW UPPER MANAGEMENT OR HR DEALS
WITH IT.
YOU SHOULD NOT GET PROPOSITIONED WITH SEX YOUR FIRST WEEK
WORKING AT A COMPANY, OR EVER.
>> A COUPLE OF MONTHS, SURE.
>>TEST THE WATERS.
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING.
>>I WONDER WHETHER IT HAPPENS ñ OF COURSE IT HAPPENS EVERYWHERE.
WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SAY MIGHT BE STUPID.
I AM CURIOUS WHETHER
SOME OF THESE THINGS HAPPEN MORE AT SOME OF THESE TECH STARTUPS
BECAUSE THEY ARE RUN BY, I AM NOT KNOCKING ENGINEERS, I'M
KNOCKING THE OTHER PEOPLE ñ THEY ARE RUN BY PEOPLE WHO DON'T
KNOW BETTER OR HAVE COME UPON
MONEY SO QUICKLY THAT THIS RUSH OF SUCCESS COMES ñ WE KNOW THAT
SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN SILICON VALLEY THERE WAS AN ISSUE
BECAUSE SO MANY OF THESE
COMPANIES SUSPECT THAT WE ARE SO SMART, AND WE KEPT IT AT THAT
SAME
ATMOSPHERE.
OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW THERE IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN
DECADES AND DECADES OF AMERICAN
COMPANIES.
YOU ARE HITTING THE SWEET SPOT WHERE THERE ARE
40-YEAR-OLD EXECUTIVES THAT JUST GREW UP AND DIDN'T KNOW ANY
BETTER.
MAYBE THAT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH WHY WE HAVE SEEN THIS
STORY REPEATED OCCASIONALLY AT SOME OF THESE STARTUPS.
I AM
CURIOUS WHETHER THESE GUYS HAVE A GREAT IDEA, BUT MAYBE THEY
DON'T UNDERSTAND THE RUNNING THE BUSINESS PART OF IT.
>>THAT IS AN INTERESTING HYPOTHESIS.
BUT I DO LIKE THAT
THEY ARE INVESTIGATING IT.
JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE MAKES
ACCUSATIONS DOESN'T MEAN IT IS AUTOMATICALLY TRUE.
THAT IS WHY
INVESTIGATIONS ARE SO IMPORTANT.
HOPEFULLY THEY WILL DO AN
INVESTIGATION AND FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON SO THEY CAN
CREATE A SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT FOR EVERYONE WHETHER
IT IS A MAN OR WOMAN.

Uber Hires Eric Holder To Investigate Sexual Harassment Claims

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