Travis Kalanick, cofounder and CEO of Uber (TOBIAS HASE/AFP/Getty Images)
Uber moved quickly over Presidents' Day weekend to respond to a former employee's claim that the company's human resources department ignored multiple instances of sexual harassment and discrimination.
On Monday, Uber cofounder and CEO Travis Kalanick sent a company-wide email describing the investigation that would begin into the claims made by former Uber engineer Susan Fowler on her blog. You can read the full text of Kalanick's email below, provided to FORBES by a source at Uber. In it, Kalanick shared for the first time that just over 15% of Uber's engineering, product management, and scientist roles are filled by women, a percentage that is similar to or less than other large technology firms.
Kalanick said that Uber has hired the former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and one of his private practice law partners, Tammy Albarran, to conduct "an independent review into the specific issues related to the work place environment raised by Susan Fowler." Holder, who also co-led Airbnb's task force on discrimination issues on its platform, and Albarran will work with Uber board member Arianna Huffington, General Counsel Angela Padilla, and Chief Human Resources Officer Liane Hornsey. (Hornsey joined Uber in January after Renee Atwood left the same job in July 2016 for Twitter.)
Even in Silicon Valley, where lack of representation for women and minorities has been criticized for years, the claims made by Fowler were shocking. After joining Uber in November 2015, she wrote that on her first official day of work with her team, her new manager sent messages over company chat soliciting a sexual relationship, and when she reported those messages to human resources, the company declined to take action, citing him as a "high performer" who had only committed his "first offense." Fowler documented a litany of other issues that occurred during her slightly over one year at Uber, and accused human resources of consistently lying and trying to sweep the accusations away.
As Fowler's post was shared widely on social media, many on Twitter and Facebook revived the #DeleteUber movement that made a large but temporary impact on Uber last month during the protests against President Trump's immigration ban. Here is the full text of Kalanick's email:
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
