Uber exec under fire for insensitive comments

Chief operating officer issues apology to ‘those of you I hurt’

Uber, which is trying to repair its scandal-ridden image with a new CEO and earnest commercials on television, finds itself in the spotlight again after a report that employees have filed complaints against its No. 2 executive.

Chief Operating Officer Barney Harford, who was hired late last year by CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, has reportedly made remarks about women and minorities that have prompted worker complaints to the human-resources department.

Friday, Harford sent a memo to employees in advance of an article he knew the New York Times was about to publish over the weekend about the complaints.

“In the course of conversations with some of you, I have been embarrassed to learn that at times I made comments that made people feel uncomfortable, isolated, or unwelcome,” Harford said in an email to employees obtained by New York Times reporter Mike Isaac, who is writing a book about Uber. “Certainly that was not my intent, but I make no excuses for my behavior. To those of you I hurt with careless words, I’m sorry,” Harford added.

Among other things, Harford questioned an ad featuring a mixedrace couple, and mixed up two black women who had similar hairstyles in the video, according to the New York Times‘ sources. The newspaper

reported that it was part of a pattern for Harford, who was CEO of Orbitz before he was named COO at San Franciscobased Uber.

In a statement provided to the Times, and in the email to employees, Harford vowed to work on his “blind spots.”

In the email, Harford referred to the company’s “painful week.” Also last week, Uber confirmed that its head of HR, Liane Hornsey, quit after an investigation into her response to allegations of racial discrimination. She had been accused of being regularly dismissive of such allegations.

Uber has not returned a request for comment Monday.

The ride-hailing company, one of the world’s most valuable startups, is trying to get past a tough 2017. Last February, a blog post by former engineer Susan Fowler, in which she said the company did nothing about her complaints of sexual harassment by her manager, and that sexism was rampant at Uber, shook up the company. Fowler’s blog post — a catalyst for the “Me Too” movement — and subsequent reports about other Uber issues eventually led to co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick’s departure in June 2017 after pressure from the board.

Last August, Uber named former Expedia CEO Khosrowshahi as its new chief executive, a surprise pick after reports that the board was considering names such as Meg Whitman and Jeffrey Immelt. In December, Khosrowshahi named Harford COO, saying he has “never met a stronger operator or a more thoughtful strategist than Barney.”