Uber is not having a pleasant 2017. The transportation giant has seen the company drenched in scandal, shedding employees due to a sexual harassment probe and claims of gouging that range from standard passenger fares to questions over the “surge pricing” occurring during London’s recent attack. The latest black eye for the company? A self-inflicted email wound.
Recode has shed light on a resurfaced email from 2013 with instructions on how Uber employees were expected to conduct themselves at a Miami outing. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick provided 400 employees with his expectations for their behavior and provided it in a decidedly cavalier fashion. Sprinkled in with warnings of a $200 “puke charge” for those spilling liquor out their guts, the “Do’s & Dont’s” also provided a written guideline on the subject of sex between coworkers.
“Do not have sex with another employee UNLESS a) you have asked that person for that privilege and they have responded with an emphatic ‘YES! I will have sex with you’ AND b) the two (or more) of you do not work in the same chain of command. Yes, that means that Travis will be celibate on this trip. #CEOLife #FML.”
Recode spoke with sources that say Kalanick was cautioned against this brand of email because it projected an element of unprofessionalism. Kalanick was said to be proud of the letter, although the tone of communication has shifted as the company has grown. Changes in presentation by the top brass may have occurred, but the law firms investigating alleged inappropriate behavior carried out by Uber will not be treating things like this as purely academic.
(Via Recode)