Uber's Shower Gate Scandal

Uber’s return-to-office (RTO) policies have sparked intense backlash. During a recent All Hands, execs dialed in remotely—one from what appeared to be a hotel (where a man in a towel walked by), another casually from Napa—while pushing in-office mandates for the rest of the company.

This came the same week Uber revoked remote approvals, increased RTO days, and worsened a popular benefit by moving the 5-year sabbatical to 8 years with no grandfathering. Employees were furious, the Zoom chat turned chaotic, unionization was threatened, and some were reportedly let go.

The tone-deafness and “rules for thee, not for me” behavior—especially from highly compensated leadership—has left many feeling demoralized and angry.

If Uber employees don’t unionize, they will remain at the whim of these executives in perpetuity. Unionizing or quitting, those are the only paths that empower.