[WisNorCan]

Any evidence? The biggest crises seem to be outside of the board’s visibility: (1) Susan Fowler (2) TK berating a driver on video (3) TK and his exec team having a file on rape of someone in india (4) Greyball etc. etc.

I think it is hard to argue that Benchmark made Suzan Fowler write her blog post etc.

The counter argument is that Benchmark seems like the grown up and Uber is lucky to have them on their BoD.

[malandrew]

Lucky?

Read the Ravikant v Tolia complaint where Bill Gurley defrauded the employees of Epinions:

http://blog.ericgoldman.org/personal/archives/2005/02/ravika...

[calafrax]

careful with the libel there. that would be allegedly defrauded. the case was settled and it is highly unlikely that the plaintiffs would have succeeded at trial.

[malandrew]

You're correct, alleged fraud that was settled out of court.

[_kyran]

The whole Waymo thing seems like quite a big crisis as well.

[WisNorCan]

Yes and self-inflicted as well. Hard to blame on Benchmark.

I worry that HN is being astroturfed by TK and his buddies. When there is a negative Uber story a throwaway account emerges to present an implausible pro-TK angle.

[throwawy11111]

Y'know, there is a third position where one can be in support of neither Benchmark nor Travis.

Benchmark obviously did not cause Susan Fowler, Waymo, Greyball or the rape-file. Travis deserved what he got or worse.

What Benchmark has done is continue to leak negative stories and internal data to gain leverage in boardroom spats. Without pointing fingers this is more or less acknowledged internally. And now they've instigated a very public lawsuit to drag everyone back through the muck. It completely undercuts the majority of thousands of employees who were not complict in any of the above and having been fighting desperately to right the ship.

If Benchmarks position is so righteous and self-evident why can't they just convince the other board members to remove him? No one's that strongly allied with Travis anymore. Ryan Graves and Garrett Camp both publicly declared theyre not voting him back in. There hasn't been a peep from Arianna in months. All the other directors are independent or external investors.

And btw the real fire from Benchmark didnt start until Travis rallied to have Bonderman, Benchmark ally, immediately step down after making mysognist comments at the Holder report all-hands. A role reversal which epitomizes the deeper truth here -- none of this is particularly about ethics; its about money, control and liquidity.

[evanweaver]

Bonderman off the board after one insulting comment. Travis not off after "Susan Fowler, Waymo, Greyball or the rape-file." There is no equivalency here.

But even if, implausibly, Benchmark is the messenger, shooting the messenger is still wrong.

[PeanutCurry]

I realize the irony of this reply since there is in fact a throwaway account replying to you as well. That said, I think both things can be a problem. I'd consider all of the stories and leaks out of Uber to be problematic, I'm certainly not contesting that. But if they're coming in whole or in part from a board member, I would consider this a breach of that member's obligations because there are legitimate channels they could be leveraging instead of relying on leaks. I don't buy the Benchmark claim at face value, and it seems like you don't either, but if we're entertaining the hypothetical then that's my take-away on the subject.

[erdle]

look at the stories and when they're released... for example when travis was confronted in a hotel... there were like 4 people counting Travis.

so it was either one of them or someone they told that leaked... pretty simple regression analysis to eventually figure out that story after story with a certain group is getting out. then you have to figure out why and then it's... the present.