At Uber Meeting on Sexual Harassment, a Sexist Joke

David Bonderman has since resigned from Uber's board
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 14, 2017 3:51 AM CDT
At Latest Uber Meeting, a Sexist Joke
Financier David Bonderman in 2003.   (Ralph Lauer/Star-Telegram via AP, File)

You know what's ill-advised at an Uber meeting addressing sexual harassment and other misconduct? David Bonderman does. Just as Uber was announcing a host of changes, one more came Tuesday when the billionaire businessman resigned from Uber's board of directors. Earlier Tuesday, Bonderman had interrupted fellow board member Arianna Huffington at a companywide meeting to make a sexist joke, reports the Los Angeles Times. Huffington had commented that "there's a lot of data that shows when there's one woman on the board, it's much more likely that there will be a second." Bonderman, 74, then announced, "Actually, what it shows is that it's much more likely there'll be more talking." (Yahoo Finance has the audio.)

The comment was met with "awkward laughs," while Huffington responded, "Oh, come on, David," per the Washington Post. Bonderman, a partner at private equity firm TPG, later apologized, noting the comment was "careless, inappropriate, and inexcusable" and had a "destructive effect." A few hours later, he announced his resignation. "I need to hold myself to the same standards that we're asking Uber to adopt," he said, per the Guardian. Huffington agreed the comment was "totally inappropriate and against the new culture we are building at Uber," but accepted Bonderman's apology. "I appreciate David doing the right thing for Uber at this time of critical cultural changes," she added. A new representative from TPG will be chosen to fill Bonderman's seat. (More Uber stories.)

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