An Uber Technologies Inc. executive was suspended after an attempt to address staff uproar over a company event about race titled "Don’t Call Me Karen” backfired.
Uber’s long-time head of diversity, Bo Young Lee, was put on leave last week, a spokesman for the ride-hailing company said.
Lee hosted an event last month that centered on the experience of being an American white woman and included a discussion of the "Karen” moniker, which is used to describe a white woman who is perceived to be entitled or demanding.
When the initial event sparked backlash among some employees, who felt the conversations were dismissive of people of color, a "moving forward” session to address frustrations was held on Wednesday.
But that only ignited even more "outrage” among staffers, according to internal Slack messages, in which people said Lee didn’t allow sufficient time for employees to voice grievances.
Both events "caused much upset and concern” and were escalated to Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi and Chief People Officer Nikki Krishnamurthy.
"While it was meant to be a dialogue, it’s obvious that those who attended did not feel heard,” Krishnamurthy said in an email to staff on Thursday.
The New York Times first reported news of Lee’s leave of absence
Employees praised Khosrowshahi’s swift action in Slack messages after Lee’s suspension was announced. "I guess Dara decided to listen to us!!,” one staffer wrote.
