Uber released its first-ever diversity report on March 28 — detailing the demographics of its employees as of this month.
The ride-hailing company faces the same challenges — most notably among executives and tech workers — as most other major tech employers.
Just 22 percent of Uber’s overall leadership positions are held by women. When it comes to technical leadership roles, that percentage is halved.
“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,” CEO Travis Kalanick said in a statement. “And to make progress, it’s important we measure what matters.”
The same day Uber released its report, former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton pushed women to stand up for their rights during a speech in San Francisco — and pointed a finger at tech companies with spotty records in gender equality. “We need more women at any table, at any conference call, or email chain where decisions are made.” She called out Uber specifically, referencing the engineer who in a blog post last month accused the company of protecting a manager who sexually harassed her.
Uber’s overall female representation is not great, but it’s not as bad as female representation at Facebook (32 percent female) and Apple (32 percent female), for example. It’s also not as good as female representation at Airbnb, which is 43 percent female, and Pinterest, which is 44 percent female.
On racial breakdown, here’s how Uber fared. Half (49.8 percent) of its worldwide staff is white, with Asians accounting for 30.9 percent, Blacks 8.8 percent, Latinos 5.6 percent, mixed race 4.3 percent, and other 0.8 percent.
In light of President Donald Trump’s attack on immigrants, Uber also disclosed that 15 percent of its employees in the United States have a work visa and come from 71 different countries, saying that no matter where anyone comes from, Uber wants you to know that you have a place at the company. “This report is a first step in showing that diversity and inclusion is a priority at Uber,” said Kalanick.
Uber has also committed $3 million over the next three years to support organizations focused on underrepresented minorities and women in tech. Uber has yet to decide which organizations to support, but the company’s Chief Human Resources Officer Liane Hornsey said “employees will be crucial” in that decision-making process.
TechCrunch’s headline read, “Uber’s first diversity report is not the worst thing ever.”
It’s not. But there’s definitely room for improvement.