Uber fired more than 20 people involved in a sexual harassment probe, according to a Bloomberg report. The ride share company investigated at least 215..
Uber fired more than 20 people involved in a sexual harassment probe, according to a Bloomberg report. The ride share company investigated at least 215 employees and found 20 or more of them to be at fault in sexual harassment claims against company management in an on-going probe.
We hear Uber is holding an all-hands meeting with its 12,000 employees to discuss some details of the investigation, which started after former Uber engineer Susan Fowler penned a scathing letter accusing the company of sexual harassment and discrimination at the hands of management during the year she worked there.
According to a Bloomberg source, Perkins Coie LLP attorney Bobbie Wilson has disclosed matters of the investigation to Uber employees and former U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder has also given recommendations from a separate probe to Uber’s board of directors.
Those involved have so far concluded at least 100 of the 215 in question were clear of any wrongdoing, but we hear there are still cases under investigation.
This is a remarkably different story from the one those at the highest rungs of management touted earlier. In March, Arianna Huffington, who sits on a board subcommittee looking into the sexual harassment claims, told CNN there was not a systemic sexual harassment problem at the company.
“Yes, there were some bad apples, unquestionably. But this is not a systemic problem, ” she said.
Uber has also been accused of having a bloated and inexperienced management structure leading up to a culture of misogyny and mismanagement — 3,000 of its 12,000 employees are in management positions and many have had no prior management experience.
But it seems the company is trying to flip things around. Just yesterday, Uber announced it had hired Francis Frei, an academic from Harvard Business School known for taking on gender issues, to take on a new role as SVP of leadership and strategy. Bozoma St. John, a standout woman of color at Apple, has also joined the team, though it’s not yet clear what her role will be within the company
We have reached out to Uber for more information and will update this article as we hear more.
