Hope Indian startups dont emulate blindly
Marijuana in office and sex in office stairwells! Insightful one from WSJ on the Uber and other hot silicon valley startups.
Uber’s Party Is Over: New Curbs on Alcohol, Office Flings
A workplace report details ‘frat-boy’ culture that lingered even after ride-hailing firm matured to $68 billion valuation
Uber’s board adopted workplace report recommendations, including limiting company spending on alcohol.
Uber’s board adopted workplace report recommendations, including limiting company spending on alcohol.
Alcohol-soaked parties, controlled substances, office romances and free dinner: those are the hallmarks of Uber Technologies Inc.’s raucous workplace—and many other startups.
A report Uber commissioned from the law firm of former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, released Tuesday, called out such details as part of what’s wrong with Uber’s culture. Uber’s board of directors unanimously adopted Mr. Holder’s recommendations, such as limiting company spending on alcohol.
A freewheeling culture of marathon late-night work sessions and frat-boy behavior often goes hand-in-hand with a startup’s fast-paced growth, experts say. But it can become detrimental as a company matures—in Uber’s case, to a $68 billion valuation and 12,000 employees. “What worked for 200 people doesn’t work for a couple thousand and can spin out of control,” said Ranjay Gulati, an organizational growth expert and professor at Harvard Business School.
Many startups stumble as they transition to a corporate culture, contributing to Silicon Valley folklore. Zenefits, the health-insurance brokerage startup, instituted a no-alcohol policy last year amid reports that employees were having sex in the office stairwells.
In 2011, two years before Twitter Inc.’s public offering, an impromptu party replete with marijuana broke out at its offices when the rapper Snoop Dogg and his entourage visited while top executives were away.
The report from the law firm, Covington & Burling LLP, recommended that Uber prohibit alcohol consumption during “core work hours,” limit budgets for alcohol during after-work events and come up with work retreats that don’t require drinking. It also addressed “prohibiting consumption of non-prescription controlled substances.”
The report did not include details of what episodes led to the recommendations. Other suggestions include serving the catered dinner earlier to indicate the work day is ending so people with families can go home.
The report also recommended that the company prohibit office romances between employees in a reporting relationship.
The landmines that erupted at Uber were not surprising, said Peter Cappelli, a management professor and the director for the Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “There’s a pattern to these kinds of blind spots—young men found these companies at really young ages and you end up with a lot of frat-boy behavior.”
The demanding hours—and the behavior that ensues—is often a sign of an ambitious startup, some experts say.
Antonio Garcia Martinez, who has worked at Facebook Inc. and Twitter and is author of “Chaos Monkeys,” which chronicles the Silicon Valley startup culture, says “The reality is that 20-something ambitious males without a lot of life priorities outside of the companies that they’re working for build 90% of tech startups in Silicon Valley. So clearly that system works very well in the sense that it has generated a bunch of different companies.” more
Uber’s Party Is Over: New Curbs on Alcohol, Office Flings
A workplace report details ‘frat-boy’ culture that lingered even after ride-hailing firm matured to $68 billion valuation
Uber’s board adopted workplace report recommendations, including limiting company spending on alcohol.
Uber’s board adopted workplace report recommendations, including limiting company spending on alcohol.
Alcohol-soaked parties, controlled substances, office romances and free dinner: those are the hallmarks of Uber Technologies Inc.’s raucous workplace—and many other startups.
A report Uber commissioned from the law firm of former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, released Tuesday, called out such details as part of what’s wrong with Uber’s culture. Uber’s board of directors unanimously adopted Mr. Holder’s recommendations, such as limiting company spending on alcohol.
A freewheeling culture of marathon late-night work sessions and frat-boy behavior often goes hand-in-hand with a startup’s fast-paced growth, experts say. But it can become detrimental as a company matures—in Uber’s case, to a $68 billion valuation and 12,000 employees. “What worked for 200 people doesn’t work for a couple thousand and can spin out of control,” said Ranjay Gulati, an organizational growth expert and professor at Harvard Business School.
Many startups stumble as they transition to a corporate culture, contributing to Silicon Valley folklore. Zenefits, the health-insurance brokerage startup, instituted a no-alcohol policy last year amid reports that employees were having sex in the office stairwells.
In 2011, two years before Twitter Inc.’s public offering, an impromptu party replete with marijuana broke out at its offices when the rapper Snoop Dogg and his entourage visited while top executives were away.
The report from the law firm, Covington & Burling LLP, recommended that Uber prohibit alcohol consumption during “core work hours,” limit budgets for alcohol during after-work events and come up with work retreats that don’t require drinking. It also addressed “prohibiting consumption of non-prescription controlled substances.”
The report did not include details of what episodes led to the recommendations. Other suggestions include serving the catered dinner earlier to indicate the work day is ending so people with families can go home.
The report also recommended that the company prohibit office romances between employees in a reporting relationship.
The landmines that erupted at Uber were not surprising, said Peter Cappelli, a management professor and the director for the Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “There’s a pattern to these kinds of blind spots—young men found these companies at really young ages and you end up with a lot of frat-boy behavior.”
The demanding hours—and the behavior that ensues—is often a sign of an ambitious startup, some experts say.
Antonio Garcia Martinez, who has worked at Facebook Inc. and Twitter and is author of “Chaos Monkeys,” which chronicles the Silicon Valley startup culture, says “The reality is that 20-something ambitious males without a lot of life priorities outside of the companies that they’re working for build 90% of tech startups in Silicon Valley. So clearly that system works very well in the sense that it has generated a bunch of different companies.” more
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Oct 31
Rudyard Kipling's famous quote "East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet." explains the basic difference between western and eastern cultures. I was listening to a radio programme in the UK in 2013 wherein a grandfather was narrating his biggest problem as that of his grand-daughter who had already married thrice and had 3 children and was now planning for her 4th marriage! The West does not consider sex a taboo as it is considered in India. Girls have their first sex experience at 13 or so and by 19 they are thrown away like sucked oranges! I think the entire subject of sex needs a review by sociologists, psychologists and sexologists and some guidelines drawn out for the society to follow. Times have changed a lot and girls /women are no longer content with being just a homemaker. They want to fly like free birds in the air! And not bother for family values. This exposes them to numerous hazards from the male society. It is also time to conduct an in-depth research into the promiscuous western lifestyle and see whether it has actually brought more happiness in the lives of girls/ women or not, and why. I do not think the so -called "freedom" and "equality" of women in the West has created more happiness in their society. It has shattered more homes than ever. We never heard of "single women" and "in living relationships" earlier, but now it is becoming popular. Crazy things are happening in the mad West. We in India India must not blindly copy these lifestyles and stand guard against these. I have seen working women in India dump their children in the care of their old parents. The child keeps crying for Mummy who is not at all moved by the cries! It is a moot point as to whether it is justified for the mother and father to deprive their children of their mother's arms in their young age. more
Jun 17
Sex is basic need , no body can able to restrict, but forceful sex is crime it should be panalized, it is essential that in workplace CCTV/Other device must be installed to check the crime. Some times woman also exploit the man. more
Jun 17
Sex, Booze & Money are the devils which spoils the character of a good & decent boy/girl. Be it any working place anywhere in the world if these three things are used excessively & overlimit, the results will.always be disastrous. Rich person can afford these items of luxury but poor person first given these as free of cost forms a habit & then disaster strikes & his/her life becomes full of miseries. more
Jun 17
