[athanas]

It's somehow symptomatic that two of the eloquent replies below are:

"Some of us think that the similarities Uber has to other tech companies in this area is an indictment of these other companies, not an excuse for Uber."

and

"Uber is not just like every other company. That's seriously some "boys will be boys" type thinking to excuse the messed up behavior of a certain few."

It seems interesting (and characteristic of bellicose group discourse) that either of these arguments, which of course contradict each other perfectly, will do as well as the other. I think you hear each of them about as much. But generally not in the same place and never by the same person.

[sidlls]

They don't contradict each other perfectly.

"[O]ther tech companies" doesn't include a magnitude and could very well have meant that it's "just a few other tech companies."

Also, some might disagree with the second statement, and the degree to which different people make either statement isn't "interesting" in the least. Except, of course, to folks looking to excuse Uber's behavior.

[bmm6o]

They don't read to me as contradictory at all, though I have to say the second one you quote is kind of ambiguous as to what it's trying to say. They both seem compatible with the belief that in an industry with sexism problems, Uber's problems are worse than most.