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> This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it. That's bold. I can't remember hearing any recent CEO s

> This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it. That's bold. I can't remember hearing any recent CEO saying this. Best of luck to Uber and their CEO.

Alex3917 10y ago
> That's bold. I can't remember hearing any recent CEO saying this. It sounds more like the kind of apology one would make after getting caught diddling children and blaming it on an addiction to snorting horse tranquilizer.
- horsetranqs 10y ago
  Hey so for what it's worth those horse tranquilizers will leave you totally unable to diddle, or even stand.
  - scotch_drinker 10y ago
    This is by far the funniest thing I've ever read on HN and the fact you created a fake account to do it makes it even funnier, I think.
M_Grey 10y ago
No, bold would be stepping down after this degree of widespread failure. This is just a new flavor of bullshit.
- unityByFreedom 10y ago
  That would be an easier path. Retire rich. The harder one is facing his mistakes publicly and trying to correct them.
  - M_Grey 10y ago
    It would be easy for you, I doubt it's easy for the personality type we find in him.
    - unityByFreedom 10y ago
      As lovely as it must be to be the target of the tech world's ire, I wouldn't like to be in his shoes. I imagine he's feeling some pressure. He may be alpha, but he is still just one human.
      - Hydraulix989 10y ago
        If I could somehow wake up in his shoes tomorrow, I think I would. The gullible public will be all over this one by next month. Even then, I wouldn't be the first rich person to have the masses standing outside my estate carrying pitchforks, it's a real first world (0.001%) problem.
- victorhooi 10y ago
  What exactly is the failure? It's very bold to sit here and armchair commentate things. But I watched the actual video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTEDYCkNqns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTEDYCkNqns If anything, I'm impressed he handled it that well - I for one probably wouldn't have, and I suspect a lot of the angry mob wouldn't either. He's a billionaire, for what it's worth, and he actually sat down to try to explain things to a Uber drive, on his night out. So what, he yells "b*llshit at the end? Or tells the guy to take responsibility? The driver obviously had a bone to pick, and he's ranting.
ethbro 10y ago
That's because normally the CEO is fired after presiding over a fuckup of this magnitude. (The rampant racism and sexism, not just this latest)
- unityByFreedom 10y ago
  If social media wants his head, I'm sure they can get it. I think it's bad for tech and the country when we don't support people who say they made a mistake and are seeking help. If you do that, you only end up with really good liars in charge. Allow someone, somewhere, to admit a mistake and correct it in a leadership position.
  - linuxkerneldev 10y ago
    > we don't support people who say they made a mistake and are seeking help. > you only end up with really good liars in charge. There's a difference between someone realizing they've made a mistake and openly admitting it without needing external pressure / evidence versus someone just "handling" more evidence of wrong-doing coming up. In this case, at a cursory glance, it looks more like someone was accused of a negative type of behavior, the person never acknowledged it or resolved it for a long period, then suddenly a series of events followed by video evidence came-up, only then the person acknowledges it and issues an apology and demands/expects to be forgiven. If that's what's happened in this case, then I'm not sure that forgiving them / supporting their subsequent activities is safe since it would be more like enablement, ie: just enabling the person to continue. If on the other hand, the perpetrator acknowledged not just this specific issue that had video evidence, but also acknowledged other issues/faults and gave a plan of action for how they were changing their behavior (more than I'm getting help now), then it would be something positive.
    - unityByFreedom 10y ago
      > There's a difference between someone realizing they've made a mistake and openly admitting it without needing external pressure / evidence versus someone just "handling" more evidence of wrong-doing coming up. I agree there's a difference, I just don't see the value in calling for his head. There's nothing else to expect of him. He clearly wants to stay and keep trying. It's the board's job to decide if he's fit to remain as CEO. > it looks more like someone was accused of a negative type of behavior, the person never acknowledged it or resolved it for a long period, then suddenly a series of events followed by video evidence came-up, only then the person acknowledges it and issues an apology and demands/expects to be forgiven I don't see him expecting anything more from anyone but himself. You may infer that, but it's not written there. I think his message is simple. He wants to remain as CEO and is willing to take steps to improve his leadership style to do so. You may feel those are empty words. To me, they're meaningful because I've read stories of companies that have been transformed by CEOs who become aware how their faults effect the company. It's possible he is not being sincere, but, I don't see much value in wishing for his demise. An in-company replacement would likely keep the same culture going, and an outside replacement isn't reliable in the tech world. As John Sculley showed, that's risky. > If on the other hand, the perpetrator acknowledged not just this specific issue that had video evidence, but also acknowledged other issues/faults and gave a plan of action for how they were changing their behavior (more than I'm getting help now), then it would be something positive. Given the shortness of this apology, I'd guess he isn't quite sure what his other faults are, and is seeking help to identify them.
fenomas 10y ago
> That's bold. I can't remember hearing any recent CEO saying this. On the flip-side, it could simply mean that he's been told to get leadership help or he may be replaced. (Uber's board can do that, I assume?)
- unityByFreedom 10y ago
  I don't see that as a flip side. In that scenario, he could still deflect. He could have refused, denying to himself and others that he ever made any mistake. He could've retired rich. I think it's likely someone recommended he get help, either today or sometime earlier. That he agrees to do so now is notable.

Alex3917 10y ago

> That's bold. I can't remember hearing any recent CEO saying this. It sounds more like the kind of apology one would make after getting caught diddling children and blaming it on an addiction to snorting horse tranquilizer.

horsetranqs 10y ago
Hey so for what it's worth those horse tranquilizers will leave you totally unable to diddle, or even stand.
- scotch_drinker 10y ago
  This is by far the funniest thing I've ever read on HN and the fact you created a fake account to do it makes it even funnier, I think.

M_Grey 10y ago

No, bold would be stepping down after this degree of widespread failure. This is just a new flavor of bullshit.

unityByFreedom 10y ago
That would be an easier path. Retire rich. The harder one is facing his mistakes publicly and trying to correct them.
- M_Grey 10y ago
  It would be easy for you, I doubt it's easy for the personality type we find in him.
  - unityByFreedom 10y ago
    As lovely as it must be to be the target of the tech world's ire, I wouldn't like to be in his shoes. I imagine he's feeling some pressure. He may be alpha, but he is still just one human.
    - Hydraulix989 10y ago
      If I could somehow wake up in his shoes tomorrow, I think I would. The gullible public will be all over this one by next month. Even then, I wouldn't be the first rich person to have the masses standing outside my estate carrying pitchforks, it's a real first world (0.001%) problem.
victorhooi 10y ago
What exactly is the failure? It's very bold to sit here and armchair commentate things. But I watched the actual video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTEDYCkNqns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTEDYCkNqns If anything, I'm impressed he handled it that well - I for one probably wouldn't have, and I suspect a lot of the angry mob wouldn't either. He's a billionaire, for what it's worth, and he actually sat down to try to explain things to a Uber drive, on his night out. So what, he yells "b*llshit at the end? Or tells the guy to take responsibility? The driver obviously had a bone to pick, and he's ranting.

ethbro 10y ago

That's because normally the CEO is fired after presiding over a fuckup of this magnitude. (The rampant racism and sexism, not just this latest)

unityByFreedom 10y ago
If social media wants his head, I'm sure they can get it. I think it's bad for tech and the country when we don't support people who say they made a mistake and are seeking help. If you do that, you only end up with really good liars in charge. Allow someone, somewhere, to admit a mistake and correct it in a leadership position.
- linuxkerneldev 10y ago
  > we don't support people who say they made a mistake and are seeking help. > you only end up with really good liars in charge. There's a difference between someone realizing they've made a mistake and openly admitting it without needing external pressure / evidence versus someone just "handling" more evidence of wrong-doing coming up. In this case, at a cursory glance, it looks more like someone was accused of a negative type of behavior, the person never acknowledged it or resolved it for a long period, then suddenly a series of events followed by video evidence came-up, only then the person acknowledges it and issues an apology and demands/expects to be forgiven. If that's what's happened in this case, then I'm not sure that forgiving them / supporting their subsequent activities is safe since it would be more like enablement, ie: just enabling the person to continue. If on the other hand, the perpetrator acknowledged not just this specific issue that had video evidence, but also acknowledged other issues/faults and gave a plan of action for how they were changing their behavior (more than I'm getting help now), then it would be something positive.
  - unityByFreedom 10y ago
    > There's a difference between someone realizing they've made a mistake and openly admitting it without needing external pressure / evidence versus someone just "handling" more evidence of wrong-doing coming up. I agree there's a difference, I just don't see the value in calling for his head. There's nothing else to expect of him. He clearly wants to stay and keep trying. It's the board's job to decide if he's fit to remain as CEO. > it looks more like someone was accused of a negative type of behavior, the person never acknowledged it or resolved it for a long period, then suddenly a series of events followed by video evidence came-up, only then the person acknowledges it and issues an apology and demands/expects to be forgiven I don't see him expecting anything more from anyone but himself. You may infer that, but it's not written there. I think his message is simple. He wants to remain as CEO and is willing to take steps to improve his leadership style to do so. You may feel those are empty words. To me, they're meaningful because I've read stories of companies that have been transformed by CEOs who become aware how their faults effect the company. It's possible he is not being sincere, but, I don't see much value in wishing for his demise. An in-company replacement would likely keep the same culture going, and an outside replacement isn't reliable in the tech world. As John Sculley showed, that's risky. > If on the other hand, the perpetrator acknowledged not just this specific issue that had video evidence, but also acknowledged other issues/faults and gave a plan of action for how they were changing their behavior (more than I'm getting help now), then it would be something positive. Given the shortness of this apology, I'd guess he isn't quite sure what his other faults are, and is seeking help to identify them.

fenomas 10y ago

> That's bold. I can't remember hearing any recent CEO saying this. On the flip-side, it could simply mean that he's been told to get leadership help or he may be replaced. (Uber's board can do that, I assume?)

unityByFreedom 10y ago
I don't see that as a flip side. In that scenario, he could still deflect. He could have refused, denying to himself and others that he ever made any mistake. He could've retired rich. I think it's likely someone recommended he get help, either today or sometime earlier. That he agrees to do so now is notable.