House Dem calls out Uber over sexism allegations

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), whose district includes parts of Silicon Valley, is calling for the tech industry to build a culture of respect and inclusivity in the wake of allegations of workplace sexism at Uber.

“Sexual harassment has no place in the workplace, and tech companies need to do a much better job fostering a culture of respect and dealing with pervasive sexism and objectification,” Khanna said Thursday in a statement.

“The tech industry also has a diversity problem, and companies should take greater steps to hire more women and people of color to work across all areas of their business.”

{mosads}Uber CEO Travis Kalanick pledged to review his company’s human resources practices after former Uber engineer Susan Fowler published a widely read blog post alleging that the ride-hailing platform was indifferent to her reports of being sexually harassed and impeded her advancement within the company.

Kalanick tapped former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to help lead the investigation.

“Ms. Fowler’s story is, unfortunately, not an isolated incident, and we have a ways to go to embrace the principles of feminism in Silicon Valley,” Khanna said.