Early Uber investors say they’re ‘disappointed’ in the company’s response to sexual harassment claims

Freada Kapor Klein and Mitch Kapor, two early investors in Uber, are feeling “disappointed” and “frustrated” in light of Uber’s response to claims of sexual harassment at the company, the two wrote on Medium today.

Earlier this week, Uber said it had hired US Attorney General Eric Holder and Tammy Albarran, partners at law firm Covington & Burling, to work with Uber board member Arianna Huffington and Uber Chief Human Resources Officer Liane Hornsey to independently investigate Susan Fowler’s allegations pertaining to sexual harassment at Uber.

“We are disappointed to see that Uber has selected a team of insiders to investigate its destructive culture and make recommendations for change,” Kapor Klein and Kapor wrote. “To us, this decision is yet another example of Uber’s continued unwillingness to be open, transparent, and direct.”

Kapor Klein and Kapor noted the flaws in bringing on people who have relationships with Uber and strong interests in the success of the company to conduct what has been described as an “independent” investigation. For example, Uber hired Holder last year to advocate on its behalf to lawmakers regarding the use of fingerprints in the background check process. And Huffington, as previously noted, is a board member at the company.

“This group is not set up to come up with an accurate analysis of the culture and a tough set of recommendations,” Kapor Klein and Kapor wrote. They went on to say they have a lot of respect for the parties involved in the investigation, but “none of that takes away the inherent conflicts that impede the necessary independence to make a deep and accurate assessment, which is where change must begin.”

Kapor Klein and Kapor say they are ready and willing to help Uber if it’s “indeed serious about a fundamental analysis and potential overhaul of every aspect of its policies, practices, complaint systems, training, upward communication systems, sentiment analysis, and commitment from the top.”

In a response to the Medium post, Uber sent TechCrunch the following statement, attributed to Holder and Albarran:

“We intend to be thorough, impartial and objective, and we are conducting this review with the highest degree of integrity and professionalism.”