A new Uber exec hired to fix problems at the company is accused of making insensitive comments toward women and minorities - but he's vowing to stay on board
- Uber chief operating officer Barney Harford said he is "embarrassed" by allegations he made insensitive comments about race to colleagues, according to a memo obtained by Business Insider.
- Those comments, which some saw as insensitive toward women and people of color, were first reported by The New York Times on Friday night.
- Harford apologized in the memo and said he would stay with the company while working to confront his cultural "blind spots."
Uber chief operating officer Barney Harford said he is "embarrassed" by allegations that he made insensitive comments about race and gender to his colleagues, according to a memo obtained by Business Insider.
The allegations were first reported by The New York Times on Friday night.
Some of those comments were seen as insensitive toward women and people of color, according to The Times' sources. Harford joined Uber last year, following the turbulent tenure of the ride-hailing company's former CEO, Travis Kalanick.
The Times outlines several incidents involving Harford, in which he allegedly made comments about culturally sensitive issues that left some employees feeling uncomfortable, the newspaper reports. According to five people interviewed by The Times, Harford at one point made a critical assessment about an Uber ad that featured a mixed-race couple, five people familiar with the conference call said in a New York Times report Friday.
During the call, Harford allegedly expressed doubt that Uber's target audience would be able to relate to an interracial couple, The Times reported.
Harford said he regretted the behavior in an email to staff, obtained by Business Insider on Friday.
"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 the memo obtained by Business Insider. "Certainly that was not my intent, but I make no excuses for my behavior. To those of you who I hurt with careless words, I'm sorry."
Harford also indicated he would stay with the company while working to confront his cultural "blind spots."
"I will seek out opportunities to build the best, highest performing, and most diverse business leadership team," Harford said.
Although Harford reportedly told colleagues that he regretted his comments, people on the call noted it was a pattern of behavior when it came to talking about women or minorities.
Ever since the incident, other employees filed complaints to the human resources department. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was reportedly also notified of his remarks and directly spoke to Harford.