
Suicide of an Uber engineer: Widow blames job stress, racism - allsunny
http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Suicide-of-an-Uber-engineer-widow-blames-job-11095807.php
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m0llusk
Just last night some tech workers were talking about what a friend had said of
working at Uber. The culture there allows "toe stepping" so that for example
if someone is on vacation it is okay to take over work that had been assigned
to them. Also they practice "always on" which means that any time of any day
maybe required to meet company goals. These two features alone are damning
enough, but when combined with a culture of back stabbing among high level
managers the results are atrocious. This cannot end well.

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elvinyung
> if someone is on vacation it is okay to take over work that had been
> assigned to them

I really hope this means it's okay to do that _with_ discussion before the
employee goes on vacation. If not, holy crap that really does sound awful.

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kafkaesq
So after such a tragedy, what does Uber do? They deny the family's benefits
claim, of course:

 _Uber denied the benefits claim through its insurance carrier. In California,
workers’ compensation usually does not cover psychiatric injuries until after
six months of employment. Joseph Thomas had worked slightly less than five
months at Uber when he killed himself._

 _But there is an exception to the six-month rule. It doesn’t apply “if the
psychiatric injury is caused by a sudden and extraordinary employment
condition,” according to California law._

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SamReidHughes
Well naturally. Why would you give free money to people?

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kafkaesq
There are other factors at play. Like, you know, concern for the next of kin
and an expected general sense of remorse, for example.

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jimmywanger
Remorse for what?

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kafkaesq
Like, you know -- leaving 2 children without a father, and a widow with a
broken heart. That sort of thing.

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jimmywanger
That's implying causation. Two children without a father and a widow with a
broken heart happened. Why would anybody want to scramble to assume financial
liability for such an incident?

Do I feel remorse for people starving in Venezuela? No, as I have done nothing
to directly cause the starvation. Nobody's agony should have a claim on your
financial resources or your property.

~~~
kafkaesq
_Why would anybody want to scramble to assume financial liability for such an
incident?_

Because it's the right thing to do (in this case).

~~~
flukus
> Because it's the right thing to do (in this case).

In your opinion, uber obviously disagrees. Why is life insurance tied to a
company in the first place?

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kafkaesq
_Why is life insurance tied to a company in the first place?_

Again, my focus is on the suffering that has been caused. Not statutory or
contractual liability.

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elvinyung
> Uber denied the benefits claim through its insurance carrier.

That seems like an _extremely_ terrible move, even if Uber might be
technically correct. Deciding to do that makes them _look_ awful, and I think
that's what matters most, given everything else contributing to their public
image right now. It could have been a great opportunity to look magnanimous.

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NelsonMinar
This story is heartbreaking.

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olleromam91
This could happen in any profession or culture. Uber are just the ones in the
spotlight right now.

The real issue here is unfortunately ONCE AGAIN, a lack of mental health
awareness and services.

A psychiatrist has diagnosed someone with "high anxiety"...why aren't they are
being subscribed treatment in the form of therapy or medicine? He went to ask
for help, and was told something wasn't going well...let's do something to
remedy that! If assistance was in fact prescribed and Thomas denied that it
would help him, the fault then is placed on social awareness and acceptance
regarding men receiving mental health care.

As someone who has gone through my own suicidal thoughts and had therapy and
medication literally save my life, this infuriates me to no end.

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taurath
And what happens if you feel you have to leave your job? You lose your
insurance, or go on disability and have a target on your back for the next 10
years of your career.

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allsunny
And another condemnation of Uber.

~~~
braveo
When it came out what Uber was doing to track Lyft drivers that was kind of
the nail in the coffin for me.

There's just too much. Companies will always make someone angry, but there's
just TOO MUCH.

I will never use Uber, and I'll encourage everyone I know to avoid it as well.
Do we REALLY want this company getting a monopoly?

~~~
fstuff
Could you imagine how unethical they would be if they were the only game in
town.

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708145_
How could Uber become such an awful company?

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Chris2048
It's terrible that this young man committed suicide, but it there any evidence
that it was Uber's fault?

Is the racism claim based purely on lack of hiring diversity? If Thomas was
given unforgiving or impossible tasks, why would he refuse to quit?

