Yahoo Finance Uber released diversity data and—surprise!—it’s very white and male
Less than a week ago, a chastened Travis Kalanick pledged to do better at creating a “diverse and inclusive” version of Uber, the ride-hailing company he founded eight years ago. But if Uber’s first ever diversity report is any indication, Kalanick has a very long road ahead.
Overall, 64% of Uber employees are male, with men most concentrated in technical and leadership positions, as is often the case at tech companies. Men at Uber make up 84.6% of tech workers, 78% of leadership positions, and 88.7% of tech leadership roles.
There’s more gender parity in non-tech roles: Women make up 44.4% of that workforce. Women are most represented in Uber customer support, where 49.7% of employees are female.
In terms of race, Uber is heavily white (49.8%) and Asian (30.9%). Again, this is more pronounced in tech roles. A combined 94% of Uber’s tech workforce is white or Asian. Just 1% is black, and 2.1% Hispanic.
Uber said today that it will spend $3 million over the next three years to support organizations that work to get more women and minorities into tech. The company also plans to increase its recruiting at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions.
“This report is a first step in showing that diversity and inclusion is a priority at Uber,” Kalanick said in a statement. “I know that we have been too slow in publishing our numbers—and that the best way to demonstrate our commitment to change is through transparency. And to make progress, it’s important we measure what matters.”
Uber isn’t alone in facing criticism for its lack of diversity: Facebook, Google, and Apple have been similarly scrutinized for their hiring practices. But Uber’s record on the matter is particularly bad. The company didn’t seem interested in releasing any diversity data until a former engineer’s account of sexual harassment went viral last month, prompting widespread outrage and soul-searching among top Uber executives.
Last week, Bloomberg reported that Uber recruiters were routinely denied access to information about the company’s diversity. When staff raised diversity as an area of concern, Kalanick would make excuses and say, “Let’s keep jamming on this.” Damien Hooper-Campbell, who joined Uber as head of global diversity and inclusion in June 2015, lasted less than a year before leaving for a role at eBay.
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