Coverage: Uber’s workforce is predominantly white, male

The bad news just keeps on coming for ride-sharing company Uber, which released a diversity report of its workforce on Tuesday that showed that its employees are not reflective of broader society.

Mike Isaac of the New York Times had the news:

The report’s numbers were stark. Only 36 percent of Uber’s work force is made up of women, while the technology jobs at the company — some 85 percent — are overwhelmingly held by men. In terms of racial composition, 50 percent of Uber’s employees in the United States are white and 31 percent are Asian, while 9 percent are black and 6 percent are Hispanic.

“We have to build more trust with our employees, and transparency will build that trust,” Ms. Hornsey said of the report.

In the past, Mr. Kalanick has resisted publishing a diversity report, current and former employees have said. In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Kalanick said, “I know that we have been too slow in publishing our numbers — and that the best way to demonstrate our commitment to change is through transparency. And to make progress, it’s important we measure what matters.”

Compared with statistics at other technology companies, Uber’s diversity figures are not that different — and are modestly better than some.

Dara Kerr of CNET reported that the study was not a surprise:

Other tech firms aren’t much better, however. Google has 22 percent women and 28 percent non-white employees in leadership roles; Apple has 28 percent women and 36 percent non-white employees in leadership roles; and Facebook has 23 percent women and 27 percent non-white employees in leadership positions.

On top of releasing its diversity report, Uber also said it’s “dedicating” $3 million over the next three years to “support organizations working to bring more women and underrepresented people into tech.” This includes recruiting students from historically black colleges, Uber said.

Still, groups that work on diversity say Uber has a lot more to do, especially given its business is contingent on drivers who come from all types of backgrounds.

“We applaud Uber for finally releasing the diversity data it’s held onto for so long, but the company still clearly has a long way to go, given its extremely segregated tech workforce,” said Orson Aguilar, president of Oakland’s Greenlining Institute. “Uber should strive to have its workforce meet the diversity of its drivers, who are 50 percent people of color.”

Marisa Kendall of the San Jose Mercury News reports that the company is trying to reshape its image:

After long refusing to reveal Uber’s diversity numbers, even as other Silicon Valley tech companies began publishing regular reports, Kalanick in February promised to release his company’s data. Chief Human Resources Officer Liane Hornsey reiterated that vow last week during a conference call, joining two of Uber’s other female leaders in an attempt to reassure the public that the company was on track to making changes in its workplace culture.

Freada Kapor Klein, diversity advocate and co-chair of the Oakland-based Kapor Center for Social Impact, said Uber’s numbers in technical jobs “aren’t great.” But no one else is getting it right, either.

“It’s interesting to me that companies who have been spending hundreds of millions of dollars to improve diversity, and hiring (diversity and inclusion) staff, are honestly not doing much better than Uber,” she wrote in an emailed statement.

As is the case with many tech companies, Uber has more women in its non-technical roles. The company says globally women make up 36 percent of its overall workforce. That compares to 43 percent at Airbnb, 37 percent at Twitter, 33 percent at Facebook and 31 percent at Google.