> This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it.
That's bold. I can't remember hearing any recent CEO saying this.
Best of luck to Uber and their CEO.
That's bold. I can't remember hearing any recent CEO saying this.
Best of luck to Uber and their CEO.
I think it's bad for tech and the country when we don't support people who say they made a mistake and are seeking help. If you do that, you only end up with really good liars in charge.
Allow someone, somewhere, to admit a mistake and correct it in a leadership position.
> you only end up with really good liars in charge.
There's a difference between someone realizing they've made a mistake and openly admitting it without needing external pressure / evidence versus someone just "handling" more evidence of wrong-doing coming up.
In this case, at a cursory glance, it looks more like someone was accused of a negative type of behavior, the person never acknowledged it or resolved it for a long period, then suddenly a series of events followed by video evidence came-up, only then the person acknowledges it and issues an apology and demands/expects to be forgiven. If that's what's happened in this case, then I'm not sure that forgiving them / supporting their subsequent activities is safe since it would be more like enablement, ie: just enabling the person to continue.
If on the other hand, the perpetrator acknowledged not just this specific issue that had video evidence, but also acknowledged other issues/faults and gave a plan of action for how they were changing their behavior (more than I'm getting help now), then it would be something positive.
I agree there's a difference, I just don't see the value in calling for his head. There's nothing else to expect of him. He clearly wants to stay and keep trying. It's the board's job to decide if he's fit to remain as CEO.
> it looks more like someone was accused of a negative type of behavior, the person never acknowledged it or resolved it for a long period, then suddenly a series of events followed by video evidence came-up, only then the person acknowledges it and issues an apology and demands/expects to be forgiven
I don't see him expecting anything more from anyone but himself. You may infer that, but it's not written there.
I think his message is simple. He wants to remain as CEO and is willing to take steps to improve his leadership style to do so. You may feel those are empty words. To me, they're meaningful because I've read stories of companies that have been transformed by CEOs who become aware how their faults effect the company. It's possible he is not being sincere, but, I don't see much value in wishing for his demise. An in-company replacement would likely keep the same culture going, and an outside replacement isn't reliable in the tech world. As John Sculley showed, that's risky.
> If on the other hand, the perpetrator acknowledged not just this specific issue that had video evidence, but also acknowledged other issues/faults and gave a plan of action for how they were changing their behavior (more than I'm getting help now), then it would be something positive.
Given the shortness of this apology, I'd guess he isn't quite sure what his other faults are, and is seeking help to identify them.
We need clear and concrete proof that the myriad issues at Uber will be addressed, and a vague, handwavey "I'll do better" is not that.
He could have announced an advisory team being brought on board to help steer the company back on track, or a cleaning house of managers with abusive track records, or drastic new internal guidelines with harsh penalties for bullshit sexist/racist/intolerant behaviour.
Uber has just such an awful track record and is just so untrustworthy, why should we start trusting them when they've given us no actual reason to?
It's been like 12 hours since the video came out, and only a couple since the CEO publicly admitted he needs leadership help... I'm not sure he's had time to seek an advisory team
I'd give them a week. I bet there will be more news from Uber.
We're saying this because of the hearsay but increasingly well-documented track record since the beginning of the company of a racist and sexist work environment, directly attributable to and encouraged by Travis Kalanick.
I'm not one to hop on the politically correct train at the first opportunity, but there's "Coworkers making borderline comments to each other" and then there's "My manager propositions me for sex, and HR lies to me, threatens my reviews, and encourages me to be silent about it because they've been told to do so by management."
So yes, he would have gotten the benefit of the doubt for the video.
But no, he in-no-fucking-way deserves leniency for fucking up people's lives by abrogating his responsibilities as CEO previous to that. And then the video.
It sounds more like the kind of apology one would make after getting caught diddling children and blaming it on an addiction to snorting horse tranquilizer.
The gullible public will be all over this one by next month.
Even then, I wouldn't be the first rich person to have the masses standing outside my estate carrying pitchforks, it's a real first world (0.001%) problem.
It's very bold to sit here and armchair commentate things. But I watched the actual video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTEDYCkNqns
If anything, I'm impressed he handled it that well - I for one probably wouldn't have, and I suspect a lot of the angry mob wouldn't either. He's a billionaire, for what it's worth, and he actually sat down to try to explain things to a Uber drive, on his night out.
So what, he yells "b*llshit at the end? Or tells the guy to take responsibility? The driver obviously had a bone to pick, and he's ranting.
On the flip-side, it could simply mean that he's been told to get leadership help or he may be replaced. (Uber's board can do that, I assume?)
In that scenario, he could still deflect. He could have refused, denying to himself and others that he ever made any mistake. He could've retired rich.
I think it's likely someone recommended he get help, either today or sometime earlier. That he agrees to do so now is notable.