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Uber leadership is scrambling to react this week to the sexual harassment allegations of former employee Susan J. Fowler, whose blog post on her experience at Uber has gone viral. Fowler describes how she was repeatedly sexually harassed and discriminated against yet every time she made a report to her managers or to human resources, she was dismissed. Fowlers story throws a spotlight on sexism in an industry that loves to paint itself as forward thinking and inclusive, and her experience was not an isolated caseas Fowlers blog gained traction, women from a range of companies began sharing their experiences with sexual harassment in the tech world.

Ubers reputation already took a hit this winterwhen #deleteUber began to trend after Uber failed to condemn the Trump Administrations immigration ban and continued sendingcars to airports during a tax driver protest. After Fowlers blog post, the deleting trend is back in full force. With rival Lyft picking up some of theclient base that was once so loyal to Uber, the companys reputationand financial successcould begin to crumble.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has stated that he was disturbed and shocked by Fowlers experience and within a matter of hours had hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct a review of sexual harassment claims at the company. This will be Holders second venture into creating a more inclusive Silicon Valley brand. After Airbnb received widespread complaints of discrimination from hosts, Holder and Laura Murphy, former head of the ACLU, were hired to craft ananti-discrimination policy for the company. Airbnb now has hosts accept its anti-discrimination rules before they can become part of the Airbnb community, and while there have been arguments that the rules are not actually effectiveand that they dont go far enough, the new rules were at least a step in the right direction. Holder has always been a staunch advocate for civil rights and was fully committed to womens rights during his tenure as attorney generalbut is he truly being asked to overhaul Ubers culture or simply being brought on for publicity reasons?

There are doubts that Holders team will be able to defeat sexism in an industry where women are rarely given a seat at the table within a nation where sexual harassment has gone unpunished for decades and where the sitting president has bragged about assaulting women. Uber, like most companies across Silicon Valley and around the world, prioritizes results over respect for women in the workplace. Multiple interviews from current and former Uber employees have revealed that the work environment can be very hostile but that no one reports it out of fear of retaliation.

Now that Fowlers case has shone a spotlight on a reality that we often ignore, Uber has at least taken steps to acknowledge the problem immediately, both by hiring Holder and by issuing a message that acknowledges Fowlers case when users try to delete the app. However, over the coming weeks as media attention shifts, Uber mayhave minimal incentives to improve its sexual harassment policies. Uber is still an exciting company for any young developer to work at, and while Fowlers case may give female programmers and engineers pause, there is little reason to think that many male candidates will choose not to work at Uber because of Fowlers story.

The most effective boycott would be taking #deleteUber a step furtherdont work for Uber. If Uber takes a hit in its hiring pool, that is when it will truly feel the pressure to reform. It is the responsibility of young, qualified candidates who are working in Silicon Valley to turn down offers at companies that subscribe to a toxic work environment that devalues female voices. Holder will be working to create new policies and investigate past offenses, but his investigation will be futile if we continue to ignore the results and sign up for Uber just the same.

Jillian Sequeira was a member of the College of William and Mary Class of 2016, with a double major in Government and Italian. When shes not blogging, shes photographing graffiti around the world and worshiping at the altar of Elon Musk and all things Tesla. Contact Jillian at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com

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Why Eric Holder Can't Save Silicon Valley Alone - Law Street Media (blog)

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Eric Holder, the former U.S. attorney general hired by Uber Technologies Inc. to investigate sexual harassment claims, pledged to act with complete independence in his review of how the company handled the situation.

Speaking for the first time since he was appointed as a lead on an examination of the company, Holder said Uber has given him carte blanche and that he has the power to determine whether management is culpable. He said he would leave no stone unturned, responding to concerns about his impartiality expressed by two Uber investors.

I will put my personal reputation behind everything that I say, Holder said. I think Ive demonstrated throughout my career the ability to be independent, to not be afraid to express contrary views, and thats what Ive told everybody here at Uber. If you are going to ask me to do this, you have to be prepared for me to simply look at the facts as they are, look at the policies as they are, look at the culture as it is and make recommendations, make findings on that basis, without any regard for anything other than that.

Uber brought in Holder and Tammy Albarran, his colleague at law firm Covington & Burling, to lead an inquiry into allegations made by Susan Fowler, a former software engineer at Uber. In a blog post published Sunday, Fowler wrote that her manager at Uber had propositioned her for sex and that the San Francisco-based companys human resources department had told her that the manager would not be punished, in part, because he was a high performer.

Mitch and Freada Kapor, early Uber investors,voiced objections Thursday to aspects of the review process, specifically questions around independence of the investigators. Holder has worked for Uber on projects in the past. Uber board member Arianna Huffington, the companys new head of human resources Liane Hornsey and Ubers associate general counsel Angela Padilla will also participate in the inquiry.

After Holder stepped down as attorney general in 2015, he was hired a year later to conduct a review of Airbnb Inc.s processes after customers complained they were being racially discriminated against when trying to book rentals. He also worked on Ubers behalf last year in an effort to defeat fingerprint background check legislation.

Holder said his previous work for Uber shouldnt disqualify him from conducting an independent investigation. What I said in letters with regard to Ubers opposition to the use of fingerprinted background checks was consistent to what I said as attorney general of the United States, he said.

Bill Gurley, a venture capitalist who sits on Ubers board, said the company chose Holder to review itsworkplace practices and culture due to his stature, demonstrated interest in these areas and reputation for independence. Uberwill take Holders findingsand translate them into action, Gurley said. David Plouffe, a non-voting member of the board, also defended the pick on Thursday, describing Holderasideal for this assignment.

Since hiring Holder, the ride-hailing company has only spun further into crisis. On Tuesday, Uber Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick delivered a tearful apology to employees for the companys cultural failings. The next day, the New York Times reported that an Uber manager had groped several female employees at a company party in Las Vegas and was later fired. The report described a generally hostile work environment in which one manager shouted a homophobic slur at an employee and another threatened to beat an employee with a baseball bat.

Holders investigation is in its early stages, and he declined to provide a timeline. I dont want to emphasize speed over thoroughness, but I think speed is a component of doing this the right way, he said. This is not something we want to fester.

For more news, visit Bloomberg.

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Uber Investigator Eric Holder Asserts His Independence - Bloomberg Big Law Business

Eric Holder.

Eric Holder, the former U.S. attorney general hired by Uber Technologies Inc. to investigate sexual harassment claims, pledged to act with complete independence in his review of how the company handled the situation.

Speaking for the first time since he was appointed as a lead on an examination of the company, Holder said Uber has given him carte blanche and that he has the power to determine whether management is culpable. He said he would leave no stone unturned, responding to concerns about his impartiality expressed by two Uber investors.

I will put my personal reputation behind everything that I say, Holder said. I think Ive demonstrated throughout my career the ability to be independent, to not be afraid to express contrary views, and thats what Ive told everybody here at Uber. If you are going to ask me to do this, you have to be prepared for me to simply look at the facts as they are, look at the policies as they are, look at the culture as it is and make recommendations, make findings on that basis, without any regard for anything other than that.

Uber brought in Holder and Tammy Albarran, his colleague at law firm Covington & Burling, to lead an inquiry into allegations made by Susan Fowler, a former software engineer at Uber. In a blog post published Sunday, Fowler wrote that her manager at Uber had propositioned her for sex and that the San Francisco-based companys human resources department had told her that the manager would not be punished, in part, because he was a high performer.

Mitch and Freada Kapor, early Uber investors,voiced objections Thursday to aspects of the review process, specifically questions around independence of the investigators. Holder has worked for Uber on projects in the past. Uber board member Arianna Huffington, the companys new head of human resources Liane Hornsey and Ubers associate general counsel Angela Padilla will also participate in the inquiry.

After Holder stepped down as attorney general in 2015, he was hired a year later to conduct a review of Airbnb Inc.s processes after customers complained they were being racially discriminated against when trying to book rentals. He also worked on Ubers behalf last year in an effort to defeat fingerprint background check legislation.

Holder said his previous work for Uber shouldnt disqualify him from conducting an independent investigation. What I said in letters with regard to Ubers opposition to the use of fingerprinted background checks was consistent to what I said as attorney general of the United States, he said.

Bill Gurley, a venture capitalist who sits on Ubers board, said the company chose Holder to review itsworkplace practices and culture due to his stature, demonstrated interest in these areas and reputation for independence. Uberwill take Holders findingsand translate them into action, Gurley said. David Plouffe, a non-voting member of the board, also defended the pick on Thursday, describing Holderasideal for this assignment.

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Holders investigation is in its early stages, and he declined to provide a timeline. I don't want to emphasize speed over thoroughness, but I think speed is a component of doing this the right way, he said. This is not something we want to fester.

Originally posted here:
Uber Investigator Eric Holder Asserts His Independence - Bloomberg

Former Attorney General Eric Holder will lead an internal investigation into allegations of sexual harassment at Uber.

Uber has hired former US Attorney General Eric Holder to lead an internal investigation into allegations of sexual harassment at the ride-hailing company.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick announced the appointment of Holder, who served as the nation's top law enforcement official in the Obama administration, in a memo to employees on Monday provided to CNET. The company also said it plans to begin publishing internal diversity numbers, a practice that has become more common among Silicon Valley companies.

The memo outlined a series of moves to address outrage that has erupted since a former Uber engineer described in a Sunday blog post how women in the company were sexually harassed by other employees and complaints were dismissed by HR.

"I believe in creating a workplace where a deep sense of justice underpins everything we do," Kalanick wrote in the memo. "Every Uber employee should be proud of the culture we have and what we will build together over time. What is driving me through all this is a determination that we take what's happened as an opportunity to heal wounds of the past and set a new standard for justice in the workplace. It is my number one priority that we come through this a better organization, where we live our values and fight for and support those who experience injustice."

Late Sunday, Uber promised to conduct an internal investigation into allegations made by Susan Fowler. A site reliability engineer at Uber from November 2015 to late last year, Fowler claims that one manager had inappropriately sexually propositioned many women, but Uber management repeatedly "refused" to punish him as he was a "high performer."

Fowler's blog post also claims there was a chaotic companywide culture of sexism and unprofessional business practices. This, Fowler said, had serious work-flow consequences, including the abandonment of projects and altered objectives.

Arianna Huffington, a member of Uber's board, joined Kalanick and Uber's head of human resources for a company meeting Tuesday to discuss the investigation. During the meeting, Kalanick reportedly apologized for Uber's lack of diversity and for not properly responding to employee complaints.

"Travis spoke very honestly about the mistakes he's made -- and about how he wants to take the events of the last 48 hours to build a better Uber," Huffington wrote in an Uber blog post. "It was great to see employees holding managers accountable. I also view it as my responsibility to hold the leadership team's feet to the fire on this issue."

Sexual harassment and a lack of gender diversity in Silicon Valley have become key concerns for many tech companies. Women make up around 30 percent of the workforce at major tech companies but fill only 15 percent of technical roles. In a 2016 survey of 200 women who had worked in Silicon Valley for over 10 years, 60 percent of respondents said they'd received unwanted sexual advances, 65 percent said those advances came from a superior and one of three said they were in fear for their personal safety.

The full memo sent by Kalanick is below:

Team,

It's been a tough 24 hours. I know the company is hurting, and understand everyone has been waiting for more information on where things stand and what actions we are going to take.

First, Eric Holder, former US Attorney General under President Obama, and Tammy Albarran -- both partners at the leading law firm Covington & Burling-- will conduct an independent review into the specific issues relating to the work place environment raised by Susan Fowler, as well as diversity and inclusion at Uber more broadly. Joining them will be Arianna Huffington, who sits on Uber's board, Liane Hornsey, our recently hired Chief Human Resources Officer, and Angela Padilla, our Associate General Counsel. I expect them to conduct this review in short order.

Second, Arianna is flying out to join me and Liane at our all hands meeting tomorrow to discuss what's happened and next steps. Arianna and Liane will also be doing smaller group and one-on-one listening sessions to get your feedback directly.

Third, there have been many questions about the gender diversity of Uber's technology teams. If you look across our engineering, product management, and scientist roles, 15.1% of employees are women and this has not changed substantively in the last year. As points of reference, Facebook is at 17%, Google at 18% and Twitter is at 10%. Liane and I will be working to publish a broader diversity report for the company in the coming months.

I believe in creating a workplace where a deep sense of justice underpins everything we do. Every Uber employee should be proud of the culture we have and what we will build together over time. What is driving me through all this is a determination that we take what's happened as an opportunity to heal wounds of the past and set a new standard for justice in the workplace. It is my number one priority that we come through this a better organization, where we live our values and fight for and support those who experience injustice.

Thanks,

Travis

First published Feb. 20, 4:50 p.m. PT. Update, Feb. 21 at 3:45 p.m. PT: Adds comments from Arianna Huffington.

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Uber taps former AG Eric Holder to lead sexism probe - CNET

Uber has hired the former US attorney general Eric Holder to investigate allegations of sexual harassment after an engineer went public with claims that she repeatedly faced sexism and discrimination at the ride-sharing company.

In a staff email shared with the Guardian on Monday, Ubers CEO, Travis Kalanick, said Holder would conduct an independent review and also revealed that women made up only 15% of the companys workforce in engineering, product management and scientist roles.

The hiring of Holder, who was attorney general under Barack Obama, comes as the description of harassment from Susan Fowler, a former site reliability engineer, has gone viral, prompting women across Silicon Valley to share stories of facing misconduct and discrimination in the male-dominated tech industry.

Its been a tough 24 hours. I know the company is hurting, Kalanick said in his email. It is my number one priority that we come through this a better organization where we live our values and fight for and support those who experience injustice.

Fowlers lengthy account on her blog alleged that management and the HR department at the San Francisco-based company frequently dismissed documented cases of sexual harassment, protected a repeat offender and threatened to fire her for raising concerns.

Fowler, who declined to comment further on Monday, alleged in her post that a manager immediately propositioned her for sex when she joined in late 2015, and that a director explained the dwindling number of women in her organization by saying the women of Uber just needed to step up and be better engineers.

Fowler, who now works for technology company Stripe, said a manager harassed her with messages on the company chat system but did not face any consequences from HR despite her providing screenshots. She said she later learned that other women had complained about his inappropriate behavior.

Upper management told me that he was a high performer -- and they wouldnt feel comfortable punishing him for what was probably just an innocent mistake, she wrote.

In one anecdote, she said managers had promised staff leather jackets but ultimately decided not to order them for women because there were not enough women in the organization to justify placing an order.

Following her complaint about that incident, an HR representative asked if I had ever considered that I might be the problem, she said. Her manager also later told her she was on thin ice and that if she filed another report, she would be fired, according to her account. Although an HR official admitted that this threat was illegal, no action was taken, she said.

On Monday, Kalanick said Uber board member Arianna Huffington, founder of Huffington Post, would also assist in the investigation alongside Liane Hornsey, the companys newly hired chief human resources officer, and Angela Padilla, general counsel.

The harassment controversy comes as Kalanick struggles to move past the viral #DeleteUber campaign, which stemmed from his participation on Donald Trumps economic advisory council.

The company has long refused to release demographic data on its workforce, even though most major tech companies have in recent years begun disclosing data and publicly acknowledging their lack of diversity. Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter have all published staffing reports.

Kalanicks email only provided gender data, saying the 15% figure for women has not changed substantively in the last year. The email did not offer statistics on the number of women in senior roles, a key metric for diversity.

A spokeswoman declined to provide racial demographic data to the Guardian on Monday. The CEO said he and Hornsey would publish a broader diversity report in the coming months.

Fowler alleged that when she left Uber at the end of 2016, out of over 150 engineers in the site reliability engineering teams, only 3% were women.

This is not the first time a tech corporation has hired Holder in the wake of a discrimination scandal. In 2016, home-sharing startup Airbnb brought him in to investigate claims that users were refusing to rent their homes to black guests, a controversy that spread under the hashtag #AirbnbWhileBlack. The company subsequently implemented new staff and rules aimed at preventing discrimination, though some critics said the reforms were inadequate.

Image Credit: Uber (logo).

2017 Guardian Web syndicated under contract with NewsEdge/Acquire Media. All rights reserved.

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