Hostile culture from New York City General Manager Josh Mohrer

Josh Mohrer, Uber’s General Manager for New York City, created a hostile culture. Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped (p. 169) explains:

Mohrer leaned hard on his people–browbeating them when he needed to–never accepting excuses. … Mohrer would pit his employees against each other to see who could impress him or deliver better–a tactic espoused by Kalanick himself.  Subtle intimidation of his underlings sometimes meant flicking at their flaws, like inspecting the receding hairline of an employee as they tried to discuss a project with their boss.  He described the shortcoming of an individual employee in front of the entire office, praising winners and shaming losers. … [A]round the office, according to two employees, he seemed like a shorter version of Biff Tannen, the high school bully antagonist from Back to the Future.

But Isaac reports that Uber ignored any concerns about culture:

Mohrer always hit his numbers, no matter what.  And that was what mattered at Uber. His business success kept Mohrer’s position secure at the company for years.

Isaac reports (p. 323) that Mohrer was ultimately fired as part of the Holder report.

“Kill or be killed” motto

Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped (p. 169) reports Uber’s “champion’s mindset” of “Kill or be killed.”  Isaac explains:

[I]f you weren’t watching your back you might be betrayed by a colleague looking to get ahead.  Success, many believed, only came at the expense of others.

Isaac continues (p. 267) that an employee “recalled a director boasting about withholding information from one executive to curry favor with another (and it worked.”  His conclusion: “Backstabbing was not only endorsed, but encouraged.”

Weak legal department “by design”

Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped (p. 158) describes Uber’s legal department as not “particularly strong” which was “partially design” to increase Kalanick’s control.  Isaac remarks that Yoo “would push back on Kalanick occasionally, but her fear of  being ‘iced out’ kept her from getting in Kalanick’s face about every legal concern she had.”  Isaac continues: “Yoo was often unable–and at times reluctant–to influence her boss. When she did decide to raise an issue with Kalanick, Travis regularly treated her concerns as just another annoyance, especially when they had to do with legal compliance.”

Faked petitions in St. Louis

In a dispute with the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission in St. Louis, Uber’s local general manager staged a media stunt in which Uber employees delivered nine boxes supposedly filled with “1,000 PETITIONS” (according to their labels), purportedly indicating citizen support for Uber.  But the boxes were actually filled with water bottles.

Source: Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped (p. 151)

Paid costs associated with fines and impoundments

When in a dispute with Philadelphia transit regulators, Uber promised to pay any fines and other costs if drivers’ vehicles were impounded:

Uberx: Reminder: If you are ticketed by the PPA, CALL US at [number removed]. You have 100% of our support anytime you are on the road using Uber–we are here for you, and we will get you home safe. All costs associated will be covered by us.

Source: Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped (p. 148)

Pushed taxi and livery drivers to financial ruin

Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped (p. 146) summarizes the “financial ruin” that car services and taxis faced when Uber entered their market and destroyed the value of their permits and medallions.  Quoting from driver Doug Schifter’s suicide note:

When the industry started in 1981, I averaged 40-50 hours. I cannot survive any longer with working 120 hours! I am not a Slave and I refuse to be one.”