Gyroscopic Investing

I know a few days passing = "old news" nowadays, but has anyone read this straight thru? Good God.

https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/ ... ar-at-uber

Wow. That's horrible.

Sadly, it doesn't surprise me. I have no knowledge of Uber, but I have plenty of experience in silicon valley tech scene and the underlying culture. In my experience, startups tend to have a high concentration of narcissists. That's good in the entrepreneurial sense because it keeps people powering through inevitable failures without giving up, but when it comes to interpersonal skills it absolutely can cause problems.

Of course, not all companies are like that and there are some really great ones, too. I'm happy to see that she got out of such a toxic environment, and also that she's willing to share her experience. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

sunlight- One of my favorite sayings.

I'm amazed she went to the trouble to write this all down. She did such a great job covering her bases and wrote very clearly. It seems to be working, because there has been a ton of press this week. Some investors have spoken out, there's a report of a hundred female engineers gathering together and asking management some difficult questions, and social media is watching like a hawk for any moves by Uber to smear the author.

Ha. I did not know that about the social media watch.

I just installed Lyft

https://twitter.com/susanthesquark/stat ... 1814392833

Research for the smear campaign has begun. If you are contacted by anyone asking for personal and intimate info about me, please report asap.

This writer has been through it with Uber in the past https://twitter.com/sarahcuda/status/835208614927196160:

I hope someone sends Susan a good security team. Huge for my peace of mind with everything that came next.

How in the world does one get a "perfect performance review" at a company?

My manager at one of my previous employers used to say, "Even the CEO of this company doesn't get a perfect performance review. We all have ways in which we can continue to improve and grow, even at the level of president and CEO."

I would say that if an employee ever supposedly gets a "perfect" performance review, the review process for that person has failed in the sense that it didn't provide constructive feedback to help the employee continue to grow.

But maybe that's just me.

Tortoise wrote:How in the world does one get a "perfect performance review" at a company?

My manager at one of my previous employers used to say, "Even the CEO of this company doesn't get a perfect performance review. We all have ways in which we can continue to improve and grow, even at the level of president and CEO."

I would say that if an employee ever supposedly gets a "perfect" performance review, the review process for that person has failed in the sense that it didn't provide constructive feedback to help the employee continue to grow.

But maybe that's just me.

Must have been a total self-assessment.

I don't know, guys. Seems like a strange thing to harp on, given the context.

I got a perfect performance review right before my contract was terminated. Silicon Valley is weird.

...But man, those are some pretty awful stories. What a sucky work environment. I wonder how long they thought they'd be able to conceal it in this day and age?

dualstow wrote:I don't know, guys. Seems like a strange thing to harp on, given the context.

Unfortunately, I often get distracted by tangential details since I'm an INTJ. Sorry about that.

If most of what she wrote is true, then it sounds like Uber's company culture is pretty rotten. I'm glad that we live in the Internet age, where grievances like this can get aired much more easily and quickly than they previously could. Doesn't guarantee that justice will be served, but it helps.

No worries, but
I thought INTJs never believed in Myers Briggs

dualstow wrote:I thought INTJs never believed in Myers Briggs

I've always thought the opposite -- look for any conversation about Myers-Briggs, and there are very strong odds that you're talking to a group of INTJs. The temptation to rationally categorize everything is too strong to resist.

Ha, that may be, Tyler. I would have made the same joke if he'd said he was an ENFP,
in the same way I always say Libras never believe in horoscopes.

Now you've got me thinking, though: there must be some group of that test that *is* less likely to believe in it.

I recall a poll a few years back on the-forum-which-shall-not-be-named which revealed a predominance of INTJs, though the incidence of INTJs in the general population is something like 2 percent. Has a poll ever been taken on this forum? I'm guessing that there are more "feelers" here than on the other forum, but I'd suspect that there is a predominance of INTJs here as well.

But further to the subject of this thread: It's interesting how the young progressive culture has a split personality when it comes to things like this. While sexual harassment is viewed in the abstract as the quintessential expression of oppression and alpha-male domination, this idea is eclipsed in practice by the strong narcissistic conviction that you should have whatever you want.

Maddy wrote:I recall a poll a few years back on the-forum-which-shall-not-be-named

https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewto ... =11&t=2234

I think the conclusion a while back was the same for this forum. I'm an INTJ, too.

Pointedstick wrote:I think the conclusion a while back was the same for this forum. I'm an INTJ, too.

if i remember correctly the results were the same when the topic came up here, INTJ was most common by a fair bit...

I guess you guys saw the latest news about CEO Travis Kalanick.
This just gets better and better, doesn't it?
I think we'll be switching to Lyft as well.

And don't forget about Amit Singhal, the new SVP of engineering they just fired for "not disclosing" he was forced out of Google for... sexual harassment.

Uber fired a top engineer for covering up allegations of sexual harassment

Uber is a hot mess right now.

I feel bad for founder and former CEO Travis K, as he lost his mother recently in a boating accident.
In the context of this forum, I guess I should specify that this is real and not a joke.

Gallows humor; the highest and best humor.