Arianna Huffington, the media mogul, recently invited several key people to her Fuel List event, that was set up by the Huffington Wellness site; Quaker Oats, a Thrive Global and Food company. The purpose of the event was to start promoting the changes in Ubers image and corporate culture. Arianna invested in Uber and is instrumental in its new image search and change. Ever since Uber founder Travis Kalanick resigned from his CEO position after a major sexual harassment scandal, Uber has undergone some serious and long-term changes. The new CEO, headhunted by Expedia, has started to provide a new direction that is hopefully going to save the company and its investors equity.
Huffington stated to CNBC that Uber's new motto is "We do the right thing. Period."
This slogan was adopted by Huffington and the board, most probably proposed by Bozoma Saint John, one of the new executives brought on by CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, and Ubers first chief brand officer. Huffington stated that it is imperative all of the 65 million passengers Uber transports will love the experience and the company.
Dara released a Linkedin post with Uber's latest cultural norms that include:
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We build globally; we live locally.
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We are customer obsessed.
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We celebrate differences.
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We do the right thing.
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We act like owners.
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We persevere.
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We value ideas over hierarchy.
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We make big bold bets.
The new CEO said that he was not wiping the slate clean since most of Uber's performance is in order. Instead, they are concentrating on getting rid of the 10% bad culture and developing ways to improve perception, which was severely damaged in the past.
Michael Cohen/The New York Times | Getty Images
Dara Khosrowshahi is speaking onstage at The New York Times 2017 DealBook Conference.
Huffington added that the new cultural guidelines come to replace the old ones that were basically self-destructive and included such ridiculous phrases as "principled confrontation," "always be hustlin'," and "meritocracy and toe-stepping," which lead Uber to the edge of a precipice on which it is now being pulled back from.
Huffington went on to state that the corporate culture of any company is in effect its' immune system and your health depends on how strong and effective is your immune system.
Arianna Huffington picture with The Fuel List honorees on Wednesday, November 8, 2017.
After Uber went through a very hard time starting with sexual harassment allegations and two anti-Uber campaigns, the new Branding executive, Bozoma Saint John is going to have her hands full as she steers public opinion away from dislike to intense association with the brand. Her first targets are pop culture and sports. When asked about pop culture and Uber's story, Bozoma replied that pop culture association is adding another layer to Uber. Look at Campbell's soup before and after Andy Warhol. The same goes for Uber; we need to paint it a new picture, a new association. Create a new generation, an Uber generation where everyone is a part of the new corporate identity. This is not about one man or one board; it is about every employee, every driver, and every customer. It is about everyone associating with the new Uber brand and accepting it into their homes, their minds, and their hearts.
Bozoma Saint John
In recent days the company has started a new interview training program to be more inclusive of women from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). Uber also donated $3 million to many organizations that promote tech diversity as well as $1.2 million to "Girls Who Code."
Huffington went on to praise the new CEO Khosrowshahi, stating that he is the right person in the right place at the right time to bring about the right transformation process leading to successful change. She said, "Creating a culture which definitely is about big, bold bets, but also about responsible growth is something which is really happening in the company now." Of which she is extremely proud to be a part of the new Uber.