5 ms·

Yes, this clearly looks like Jones getting out before his reputation is sullied by further association with Uber's leadership.

jacquesm 10y ago
The most likely thing that happened was that Jones said 'you go or I go' and that that ended with him going. Without inside knowledge that's speculative but this is how these things usually play out when founders dig in against a new outsider. The letter feels like spin to reduce the feeling of a fractured company towards the rest of the cadre. Not that they will be fooled (for long, anyway). Anyway, it's Travis Kalanick's ship to sink if he so desires so Jones is right to leave, but if I were him I would not wait too long before coming to my senses. The Uber brand is starting to look damaged beyond repair and they still have not begun with the salvaging operation, things are only getting worse.
- rodgerd 10y ago
  > The most likely thing that happened was that Jones said 'you go or I go' and that that ended with him going. It's entirely possible (and more likely) that he said "these people need to go" and got told "no, they're high performers we can't do without."
  - jacquesm 10y ago
    Well, those 'high performers' are a liability more than they are an asset at the moment so that would have been a very bad call. Uber is not exactly SpaceX and any 'high performers' that think they are so above the law that they get to destroy the company culture and cause a tsunami of bad press should be sacked pronto. Nothing less will start to stem the tide.
    - tyingq 10y ago
      The comment you're replying to is referencing the same "high performer" reasoning cited by Susan Fowler. Probably not endorsing the practice, just noting it exists.
    - rodgerd 10y ago
      Oh, I agree completely about the value of the alleged high performers.
    - Applejinx 10y ago
      It all depends on what constitutes 'bad press' and the company culture. If the valuation of Uber is based on how much they are monsters with no consideration for anything else, none of this counts as bad press provided that Uber can still beat everything and everybody it's in conflict with. Stealing ideas from Google? If they can't get away with it, that's catastrophic. If they DO get away with it that's a thumb in the eye to Google, much like their normal operations are a gutpunch to every legal system they're in conflict with. The whole point is this: everything negative about Uber turns into a positive for their valuation if they can get away with it. I don't see any possible event or action that would break this rule. Travis Kalanick could eat babies on nationwide TV and it would help their valuation IF he got away with it, because it would be more grandstanding about how Uber is ultimately powerful and can always do anything it wants because of that power. View any bad press in that light: are they getting away with it? If they are, it's more evidence they make the rules, and making the rules is why they're valued at Uber levels. If they are above any and all laws, the valuation is justified or undervalued.
      - Jordrok 10y ago
        Yeah. Sounds eerily similar to the story of a certain real estate developer turned politician. It's a little bit like attempting to achieve escape velocity. If you succeed then everything is fine, but if you fall even a little bit short, it all comes crashing to the ground. Only time will tell, but I'll be pulling (har har) for Team Gravity.

jacquesm 10y ago

The most likely thing that happened was that Jones said 'you go or I go' and that that ended with him going. Without inside knowledge that's speculative but this is how these things usually play out when founders dig in against a new outsider. The letter feels like spin to reduce the feeling of a fractured company towards the rest of the cadre. Not that they will be fooled (for long, anyway). Anyway, it's Travis Kalanick's ship to sink if he so desires so Jones is right to leave, but if I were him I would not wait too long before coming to my senses. The Uber brand is starting to look damaged beyond repair and they still have not begun with the salvaging operation, things are only getting worse.

rodgerd 10y ago
> The most likely thing that happened was that Jones said 'you go or I go' and that that ended with him going. It's entirely possible (and more likely) that he said "these people need to go" and got told "no, they're high performers we can't do without."
- jacquesm 10y ago
  Well, those 'high performers' are a liability more than they are an asset at the moment so that would have been a very bad call. Uber is not exactly SpaceX and any 'high performers' that think they are so above the law that they get to destroy the company culture and cause a tsunami of bad press should be sacked pronto. Nothing less will start to stem the tide.
  - tyingq 10y ago
    The comment you're replying to is referencing the same "high performer" reasoning cited by Susan Fowler. Probably not endorsing the practice, just noting it exists.
  - rodgerd 10y ago
    Oh, I agree completely about the value of the alleged high performers.
  - Applejinx 10y ago
    It all depends on what constitutes 'bad press' and the company culture. If the valuation of Uber is based on how much they are monsters with no consideration for anything else, none of this counts as bad press provided that Uber can still beat everything and everybody it's in conflict with. Stealing ideas from Google? If they can't get away with it, that's catastrophic. If they DO get away with it that's a thumb in the eye to Google, much like their normal operations are a gutpunch to every legal system they're in conflict with. The whole point is this: everything negative about Uber turns into a positive for their valuation if they can get away with it. I don't see any possible event or action that would break this rule. Travis Kalanick could eat babies on nationwide TV and it would help their valuation IF he got away with it, because it would be more grandstanding about how Uber is ultimately powerful and can always do anything it wants because of that power. View any bad press in that light: are they getting away with it? If they are, it's more evidence they make the rules, and making the rules is why they're valued at Uber levels. If they are above any and all laws, the valuation is justified or undervalued.
    - Jordrok 10y ago
      Yeah. Sounds eerily similar to the story of a certain real estate developer turned politician. It's a little bit like attempting to achieve escape velocity. If you succeed then everything is fine, but if you fall even a little bit short, it all comes crashing to the ground. Only time will tell, but I'll be pulling (har har) for Team Gravity.