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Away says co-CEO Steph Korey will step down this year after attacks on the media

42 points by hhs 6y ago

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devmunchies 6y ago
> who found that her decision to write about the media in the midst of her maternity leave, rather than Black Lives Matter or Pride, reflected poorly on the brand people have different interests. and not everybody wants to be an activist. in fact people should be encouraged to talk about different issues. It's crazy to be ousted from your company while on maternity leave because you tweeted about "editorial standards" and "defamation lawsuits" without first making a public statement about BLM.
- askafriend 6y ago
  You're missing the full story. This isn't the first incident. [1] This is a grassroots effort coming directly from employees. Her company consists of human beings that work towards business goals. Plain and simple - she couldn't set her ego aside to actually do the work of leading these people. After the first incident, she issued and apology and stepped down. Then she deleted any trace of her apology, said she regretted "falling on her sword" publicly, and then became co-CEO again. Now she's stepping down again. This is not normal behavior. And if she could actually lead (which surprise - involves people and gaining their trust) then she wouldn't have found herself in this predicament in the first place. She failed at her basic duty and should not be CEO or anywhere near the C-suite. [1] https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20995453/away-luggage-ceo-steph-korey-toxic-work-environment-travel-inclusion https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20995453/away-luggage-ceo...
  - Nextgrid 6y ago
    This might not be the first "incident", but it still sets a dangerous precedent where not posting about whatever social cause is currently being hyped up becomes dangerous for your career.
    - boogie1488 6y ago
      in this climate, you're best bet is to say nothing at all or pretend you care about bs social movements and put #blm in your bios. some dean for nurses, the IRONY, got fired for saying everyone's life matters whilst also supporting blm. its never enough for hese people however, i sleep tight knowing that trump will get 4 more years. https://campusreform.org/?ID=15157 https://campusreform.org/?ID=15157
    - microtherion 6y ago
      I think the controversy was not so much about the "not posting about a social cause" but about what she did post, i.e. the pursuit of a vendetta against a journalist who first exposed her behavior.
      - aklemm 6y ago
        Exactly. The parent to your reply typifies the intellectual dishonesty we’re seeing in the anti-protest efforts. It’s really pathetic.
        Nextgrid 6y ago
        I am not anti-protest at all and actually support the BLM cause. To be honest I have nothing to gain from taking any side anyway. However, I am very concerned that not posting something can now be seen as a bad thing. It used to be that as long as you don't post "bad" things you'll be fine, now it seems that you have to post certain things (potentially contrary to your interests, opinions or the primary purpose of that particular social media feed) otherwise you'll be labelled as a "bad" person. When does it end? Does not having any significant social media presence on which to post this stuff now also make you a "bad" person?
- bArray 6y ago
  > people have different interests. and not everybody wants to > be an activist. in fact people should be encouraged to talk > about different issues. Yep. Just because the BLM protests and coronavirus are happening, doesn't mean the world stopped spinning. There will ALWAYS be another cause - groups of people will never stop being unhappy about something. It's your right to pick which hill you want to die on, i.e. which cause you want to fight for. We need diversity in causes, otherwise the others will be neglected. The fact that she was on her maternity leave, i.e. not even representing the company at that time - is completely wild. You would think these activists would be able to show some sympathy to a woman who's hormones are probably going crazy. What she is supposed to have said doesn't even appear to be opposed to what the BLM activists want - the media IS a big problem in all of this. They of all people should realize that the media has had a big hand in the public's positive and negative perception of their cause. But, that message is opposed to what The Verge believe - so I guess we understand the motive behind the witch hunt. The Verge should be ashamed.
pmiller2 6y ago
Based on https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20995453/away-luggage-ceo-steph-korey-toxic-work-environment-travel-inclusion https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20995453/away-luggage-ceo... I suspect that "attacks on the media" were not the reason for this, or, at least, were not the whole reason. She sounds like a terrible person, and a manager who abuses employees.
deleted 6y ago
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pl0x 6y ago
Now Ben Horowitz has to step down from a16z out of respect to Taylor.
- dundarious 6y ago
  I read about the history of this incident, all for the first time today, through someone linking me to the Twitter back-and-forth between @TaylorLorenz and @bhorowitz. https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/1278506515679322112?s=20 https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/1278506515679322112?... Reading the original expose, https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20995453/away-luggage-ceo-steph-korey-toxic-work-environment-travel-inclusion https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20995453/away-luggage-ceo... ; Korey's message in stepping down, https://twitter.com/sallyshin/status/1203007359762649088 https://twitter.com/sallyshin/status/1203007359762649088 ; the NYT piece about her return (just a name change, folks, she was never really stepping down at all!), https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/business/steph-korey-away.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/business/steph-korey-away... ; to this second "stepping down" announcement. In my opinion, Korey's behavior in the original expose was unacceptable, never mind toxic for the brand, so I find Ben's behavior immature. He's crying wolf with his claim that this is cancel culture and just a Twitter war.
yaacov 6y ago
> The posts rankled some workers, who found that her decision to write about the media in the midst of her maternity leave, rather than Black Lives Matter or Pride, reflected poorly on the brand. How is this real?
- dundarious 6y ago
  I'd urge you to read https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23719797 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23719797 and its replies. I think that's a misleading sentence, because BLM, etc., are absolutely irrelevant to the substance of the complaint about her posts.
  - yaacov 6y ago
    Yeah agreed that the substance of the complaint might have some merit. This sentence just really rubbed me the wrong way.
- numpad0 6y ago
  That she didn’t mention BLM is the “charge” and she’s found “guilty” of it? That’s Great Cultural Revolution. That’s how it worked. I can’t even.
boogie1488 6y ago
this is why you don't hire "woke" people. there are insufferable and make normal people's worklife a living hell
- vernie 6y ago
  1488, yikes.
  - rgbrgb 6y ago
    For those wondering (I was), 1488 in the username is a white supremacy reference. https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/1488 https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/1488
dundarious 6y ago
To me, this is an unforced error by Steph Korey. She seemed to have outlived the media cycle about her previous unacceptable behavior. But then she decided to relight the embers in an attempt to deflect blame even further. I hope her departure (for real this time) will fortify the push to have reasonable work hours and communication at Away.

42 points by hhs 6y ago

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

devmunchies 6y ago

> who found that her decision to write about the media in the midst of her maternity leave, rather than Black Lives Matter or Pride, reflected poorly on the brand people have different interests. and not everybody wants to be an activist. in fact people should be encouraged to talk about different issues. It's crazy to be ousted from your company while on maternity leave because you tweeted about "editorial standards" and "defamation lawsuits" without first making a public statement about BLM.

askafriend 6y ago
You're missing the full story. This isn't the first incident. [1] This is a grassroots effort coming directly from employees. Her company consists of human beings that work towards business goals. Plain and simple - she couldn't set her ego aside to actually do the work of leading these people. After the first incident, she issued and apology and stepped down. Then she deleted any trace of her apology, said she regretted "falling on her sword" publicly, and then became co-CEO again. Now she's stepping down again. This is not normal behavior. And if she could actually lead (which surprise - involves people and gaining their trust) then she wouldn't have found herself in this predicament in the first place. She failed at her basic duty and should not be CEO or anywhere near the C-suite. [1] https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20995453/away-luggage-ceo-steph-korey-toxic-work-environment-travel-inclusion https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20995453/away-luggage-ceo...
- Nextgrid 6y ago
  This might not be the first "incident", but it still sets a dangerous precedent where not posting about whatever social cause is currently being hyped up becomes dangerous for your career.
  - boogie1488 6y ago
    in this climate, you're best bet is to say nothing at all or pretend you care about bs social movements and put #blm in your bios. some dean for nurses, the IRONY, got fired for saying everyone's life matters whilst also supporting blm. its never enough for hese people however, i sleep tight knowing that trump will get 4 more years. https://campusreform.org/?ID=15157 https://campusreform.org/?ID=15157
  - microtherion 6y ago
    I think the controversy was not so much about the "not posting about a social cause" but about what she did post, i.e. the pursuit of a vendetta against a journalist who first exposed her behavior.
    - aklemm 6y ago
      Exactly. The parent to your reply typifies the intellectual dishonesty we’re seeing in the anti-protest efforts. It’s really pathetic.
      - Nextgrid 6y ago
        I am not anti-protest at all and actually support the BLM cause. To be honest I have nothing to gain from taking any side anyway. However, I am very concerned that not posting something can now be seen as a bad thing. It used to be that as long as you don't post "bad" things you'll be fine, now it seems that you have to post certain things (potentially contrary to your interests, opinions or the primary purpose of that particular social media feed) otherwise you'll be labelled as a "bad" person. When does it end? Does not having any significant social media presence on which to post this stuff now also make you a "bad" person?
bArray 6y ago
> people have different interests. and not everybody wants to > be an activist. in fact people should be encouraged to talk > about different issues. Yep. Just because the BLM protests and coronavirus are happening, doesn't mean the world stopped spinning. There will ALWAYS be another cause - groups of people will never stop being unhappy about something. It's your right to pick which hill you want to die on, i.e. which cause you want to fight for. We need diversity in causes, otherwise the others will be neglected. The fact that she was on her maternity leave, i.e. not even representing the company at that time - is completely wild. You would think these activists would be able to show some sympathy to a woman who's hormones are probably going crazy. What she is supposed to have said doesn't even appear to be opposed to what the BLM activists want - the media IS a big problem in all of this. They of all people should realize that the media has had a big hand in the public's positive and negative perception of their cause. But, that message is opposed to what The Verge believe - so I guess we understand the motive behind the witch hunt. The Verge should be ashamed.

pmiller2 6y ago

Based on https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20995453/away-luggage-ceo-steph-korey-toxic-work-environment-travel-inclusion https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20995453/away-luggage-ceo... I suspect that "attacks on the media" were not the reason for this, or, at least, were not the whole reason. She sounds like a terrible person, and a manager who abuses employees.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

pl0x 6y ago

Now Ben Horowitz has to step down from a16z out of respect to Taylor.

dundarious 6y ago
I read about the history of this incident, all for the first time today, through someone linking me to the Twitter back-and-forth between @TaylorLorenz and @bhorowitz. https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/1278506515679322112?s=20 https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/1278506515679322112?... Reading the original expose, https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20995453/away-luggage-ceo-steph-korey-toxic-work-environment-travel-inclusion https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20995453/away-luggage-ceo... ; Korey's message in stepping down, https://twitter.com/sallyshin/status/1203007359762649088 https://twitter.com/sallyshin/status/1203007359762649088 ; the NYT piece about her return (just a name change, folks, she was never really stepping down at all!), https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/business/steph-korey-away.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/business/steph-korey-away... ; to this second "stepping down" announcement. In my opinion, Korey's behavior in the original expose was unacceptable, never mind toxic for the brand, so I find Ben's behavior immature. He's crying wolf with his claim that this is cancel culture and just a Twitter war.

yaacov 6y ago

> The posts rankled some workers, who found that her decision to write about the media in the midst of her maternity leave, rather than Black Lives Matter or Pride, reflected poorly on the brand. How is this real?

dundarious 6y ago
I'd urge you to read https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23719797 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23719797 and its replies. I think that's a misleading sentence, because BLM, etc., are absolutely irrelevant to the substance of the complaint about her posts.
- yaacov 6y ago
  Yeah agreed that the substance of the complaint might have some merit. This sentence just really rubbed me the wrong way.
numpad0 6y ago
That she didn’t mention BLM is the “charge” and she’s found “guilty” of it? That’s Great Cultural Revolution. That’s how it worked. I can’t even.

boogie1488 6y ago

this is why you don't hire "woke" people. there are insufferable and make normal people's worklife a living hell

vernie 6y ago
1488, yikes.
- rgbrgb 6y ago
  For those wondering (I was), 1488 in the username is a white supremacy reference. https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/1488 https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/1488

dundarious 6y ago

To me, this is an unforced error by Steph Korey. She seemed to have outlived the media cycle about her previous unacceptable behavior. But then she decided to relight the embers in an attempt to deflect blame even further. I hope her departure (for real this time) will fortify the push to have reasonable work hours and communication at Away.