Uber—Uber systemic sexual harassment scandal led to 20+ firings and CEO resignation
After former engineer Susan Fowler published blog post on February 19, 2017 detailing year of sexual harassment and retaliation (November 2015 - December 2016), external investigation led by former Attorney General Eric Holder uncovered systemic sexual harassment and discrimination. Investigation found 215 allegations of misconduct; 20+ employees fired including senior executives, 31 sent to training/counseling. HR had protected 'high performer' who propositioned Fowler despite multiple previous complaints. CEO Travis Kalanick forced to resign June 21, 2017 under pressure from major investors (Benchmark, First Round Capital, Lowercase Capital, Menlo Ventures, Fidelity controlling 40% voting power). Asia-Pacific President Eric Alexander fired for obtaining rape victim's medical records and showing to executives. Uber paid $7 million to 480 employees (August 2018) and $4.4 million EEOC settlement (December 2019) with 3 years outside monitoring.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Governance | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Gender Equity | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Whistleblower Protection | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Worker Rights | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -1.101 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.73)
Evidence (3 signals)
CEO Travis Kalanick resigned under pressure from major investors
Travis Kalanick resigned as CEO on June 21, 2017 following pressure from five major investors (Benchmark, First Round Capital, Lowercase Capital, Menlo Ventures, Fidelity) who together owned over quarter of Uber's stock and controlled about 40% voting power. Investors delivered letter titled 'Moving Uber Forward' at Chicago hotel demanding Kalanick resign. Letter stated company needed change in leadership.
Uber fired 20+ employees after sexual harassment investigation
Uber fired more than 20 employees including senior executives after investigation into 215 allegations of misconduct. Investigation led by former Attorney General Eric Holder. 100 claims had no action, 57 still under review, 31 employees sent to training/counseling. Company said firings were for sexual harassment, discrimination, unprofessional behavior, retaliation, bullying and physical safety issues.
Susan Fowler published blog post detailing year of sexual harassment at Uber
Susan Fowler, former Site Reliability Engineer at Uber (November 2015 - December 2016), published blog post on February 19, 2017 about experiences with sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Described employment that began with sexual proposition from manager and grew more demeaning and demoralizing. HR protected 'high performer' despite multiple complaints.