Uber CEO Travis Kalanick
Adnan Abidi / Reuters
During a Tuesday all-hands meeting with employees, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick addressed claims of systemic sexism at the company recently detailed in a viral essay penned by a former Uber engineer Susan Fowler Rigetti. Kalanick — described as visibly upset by multiple sources in attendance — apologized to employees, told them to hold him accountable for the company's failings, and promised Uber would "do better" going forward.
Over the course of the meeting — which ran well over an hour — Kalanick explained Uber's protocols for reporting sexism and harassment, announced plans for training sessions on unconscious bias, and took questions from employees wondering why the company is only now launching an investigation into misogyny and sexism.
Uber CTO Thuan Pham also spoke at the meeting. Referring to the circumstances around Rigetti's allegations, he called the situation “an utter failure." Thuan went on to say that last October, he fired a high-performing manager because that person was wrongly blocking another employee's transfer and falsifying performance reviews. Uber does not consider high performance more important than another person’s abuse, he said.
Uber's human resources team held a 90 minute "listening" session immediately after the all-hands. The company will hold additional sessions in the coming days.
Liane Hornsey, who joined Uber recently as chief human resources officer, promised employees at the meeting that she would work to create a "new Uber." Hornsey's pledge follows Kalanick's earlier announcement that Uber is bringing on former Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct a workplace environment review. After the all-hands meeting, Uber posted a blog with comment from board member Arianna Huffington, who will join the review. "I hope that by taking the time to understand what’s gone wrong and fixing it we can not only make Uber better but also contribute to improvements for women across the industry," the blog said.
In a memo to employees on Monday, after Rigetti's blog post went viral, Kalanick told employees that "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’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," Kalanick wrote. "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."
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