Companies engaged in questionable or unethical practices will often defend them by saying, “This is our business model.” But building a business on bad behavior does not make it right. This came up after my criticism of Statista’s research practices yesterday. The company responded in a pair of tweets: I am not disputing that Statista…
Uber released its safety report for the years 2017 and 2018 for the US. It documents 5,981 sexual assaults. Ergo, Uber is a menace, right? Before you read on, please know that I consider sexual assault to be evil and awful. Anyone who commits one should be punished and, to the extent possible, prevented from…
In 2017, Travis Kalanick was on leave as CEO of Uber to deal with family medical issues. The beleaguered company was at a low point. His letter to employees is the best “I’m sorry, we need to change” communication I’ve ever read, but he never sent it — and he was forced out shortly thereafter….
A self-driving Uber ran over a pedestrian in Phoenix. A Tesla in autopilot mode crashed into a safety barrier and killed the driver. Tesla released a statement about the crash that delivers specifics and clarity, while Uber said very little. It’s moments like this that clarify why we tend to trust Tesla, but not Uber….
It’s been a hell of a year, and every month was filled with its share of bullshit. So let’s review 2017 through the lens of the most popular Without Bullshit posts in every month. January: “What’s really wrong with millennials?” asks Simon Sinek Simon Sinek has it all figured out. Millennials are screwed up because…
Former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn has pled guilty to lying to the FBI. He has also issued a self-praising statement minimizing what he did. It’s an interesting strategy. Should everyone else who apologizes do the same? Flynn’s proud, patriotic apology Flynn spoke to the Russian Ambassador about foreign policy during the transition, when…
Hackers stole information on 600,000 Uber drivers and 57 million riders in 2016. The company paid $100,000 to the hackers to delete the data, but didn’t inform the affected people until now. New Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s remorseful apology is far clearer than Uber’s past statements, but never mentions the ransom. These are the facts,…
New Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi must now deal with Transport for London’s decision to yank Uber’s license to operate in the city. He’s straddling two worlds — praising the team but asking for change and self-reflection. You can read his email to the global team either way, and that is the problem. Lets look at the…
Investor Shervin Pishevar wrote a letter defending his friend, former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, as investors attempted to eject him from Uber’s board of directors. It’s the most florid business communication you’ll ever see. In a moment of passion, you may be tempted to write like this. Don’t — it’ll come back to haunt you….