“Knowing and intentional” “obstructive” “recalcitrance” in its “blatant,” “egregious,” “defiant refusal” to produce documents and records when so ordered by administrative law judges.
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement v. Uber Technologies, Inc., et al., Initial Decision, November 17, 2015. C-2014-2422723.
An Uber employee told a visiting journalist that he had tracked her, leading her to uncover an internal company tool called “God View” that let Uber staff see the travels of any passenger including both real-time and historic location, all without the passenger’s knowledge.
Uber granted job candidates provisional access to the same customer location data provided to full-time employees. One candidate reported having this access for an entire day, even after the interview ended. He admitted searching for records of people he knew, including politicians’ relatives.
User also displayed customer data to members of the public invited to its premises. At a 2011 party celebrating Uber’s launch in Chicago, Uber let guests visually track passenger rides, without users’ permission or knowledge.
Uber drivers were accused of sexually assaulting riders in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Toronto, and more.
Uber “upfront pricing” nets out in Uber’s favor, increasing effective fees charged to drivers. Details from Rideshare Guy.
In screenshots and details at Quartz, drivers show some specifics. For example, on one ride, the passenger paid $31.02, yet Uber told the driver that the passenger’s fare was $26.96, which led to a net payment to the driver of $17.05 (net of Uber’s fee, tax, and other charges). In other examples, Uber charged the passenger $41.86 but told the driver the fare was $34.85; and $25.65 versus $22.03. In each of these examples, Uber’s statement to the driver about the passenger’s “fare” appears to have been affirmatively false, as the true fare was more.
By retaining commissions 2.6% beyond the amount specified in the applicable contract, Uber underpaid drivers in New York. Jim Conigliaro, founder of the Independent Drivers’ Guild, called Uber’s actions “theft.” Engadget reported that the amount averaged $900 per driver, yielding a total overcharge of more than $40 million.
2015 contract revisions indicate that Uber knew it was wrongly taking commission on gross fares, thereby overcharging drivers, though the company denied that allegation.
After outcry about exorbitant fares, Uber agreed to cap surge pricing during emergencies. Yet the company faced criticism a few months later for temporarily raising fares during the 2014 Sydney hostage crisis, then again for surges during London attacks.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick feuded with driver Fawzi Kamel (video) over changes at the company.
Kamel flagged Uber’s decision to cut prices and payments to drivers, complaining “I’m bankrupt because of you.” Kalanick replied that the driver was wrong to “blame everything in [his] life on somebody else” and “Some people don’t like to take responsibility for their own shit.”
Kalanick ended the trip by sarcastically wishing the driver good luck.
Kalanick later met with the driver again, reopened the debate, and ultimately made a payment to the driver from his own money.
Former Uber software engineer Susan Fowler posted a 4,000+ word report of her experience reporting sexual harassment at Uber. Among other problems, she reported multiple senior managers failing to take action on the problems she reported — and retaining the employees who engaged in misconduct.
Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped (p. 262, 266) adds details: Fowler’s manager hit on her during her first first day of work. She reported him to HR, with screenshots of his remarks, but Uber HR said it was his first offense and encouraged her to find a new team.