A former Uber engineer is suing ousted CEO Travis Kalanick for publicly insulting him at a party celebrating the tech giant becoming a publicly traded company.
Logic Abrol, 30, claims Kalanick in his unicorn costume held horns and made a masturbating gesture at a company event at an Irish pub in New York City in May, 2019.
The software developer said he wore the garment over his clothes to mark the company’s $1 billion valuation and its new status as a so-called ‘unicorn’.
‘Per [Abrol’s] Terrified, as she entered the bar … Kalanick approached her and, without warning, grabbed the horn by her dress, made a masturbating motion on it, smiled at her, and then left,’ the suit says, first reported by The Daily Bee. has been reviewed
‘[Abrol] Feeling humiliated and disgusted. As he looked around, he saw his team members staring at him in shock and concern. Several of his colleagues came up to him to ask if he was okay and to express their displeasure with Kalanick.’
Arjun Abrol, 30, claimed the ousted former Uber CEO was wearing a unicorn costume holding horns and making masturbating gestures at a company party.
At the time of the alleged incident, Kalanick had already resigned from the company as it faced mounting scandals
In her lawsuit, which seeks $12.5 million in damages, Abral reiterated earlier allegations that Uber’s work culture is toxic to women and minorities.
At the time of the alleged incident, Kalanick had already resigned from the company as it faced mounting scandals, including allegations of sexism, racism and homophobia.
Abrol ‘became convinced that the misogynistic, male-dominated culture … of Uber continued to perpetuate blatant discrimination and sexual harassment even as the company was being sued in a class action for gender discrimination,’ the suit claims.
In her lawsuit, which seeks $12.5 million in damages for the incident and other claims, Abrol reiterated earlier allegations that Uber’s work culture is toxic to women and minorities.
The engineer also named Uber and the company’s two supervisors, director of engineering and NYC site lead Arun Nagarajan and engineering lead Ajit Ganga.
Abrol alleged that as a ‘Punjabi-speaking person from North India’, he was discriminated against by his two former bosses, who are also of Indian origin.
The case explains: ‘Certain prejudices exist between and among India’s 705 recognized ethnicities. Remnants of some earlier caste systems; Others are based on skin color.
‘Another is a general enmity between the people of South India and North India, whom the South Indians regard as conquerors of their land. Based on facts and beliefs, these caste prejudices, in part, informed the treatment of Nagarajan and Ganga. [Abrol].’
Abarol claims discrimination and retaliation have affected her well-being and mental health after she spoke out.
Newstimesuk.com has contacted Uber for comment on this story.
In a statement to The Daily Beast, the former CEO denied the allegations.
‘The alleged incident did not happen. Mr. Kalanick was accompanied by many friends and family who were with him throughout the entire incident who will prove that this alleged incident is a fabrication and did not happen,’ said one of Kalanick’s attorneys.
Abrol’s lawsuit is just the latest legal trouble for Uber.
Kalanick, who helped found Uber in 2009, stepped down from leading the company in June 2017 amid pressure from investors.
A video has surfaced showing him shouting at one of his own drivers just before he resigned
The video, which was taken from inside the driver’s car in February 2017 and was key to his downfall, surfaced online shortly after Uber executives told Kalanick he was poisoning the company’s brand.
The problems didn’t end with Kelanick’s departure, however — last year, more than 500 women sued Uber claiming they were sexually assaulted, kidnapped or otherwise assaulted by drivers.
The attorney representing the women, Adam Slater, said that the entire model of the ride-share company was ‘predicated on giving people a safe ride home, but the safety of the riders was not their concern – growth was at the expense of the safety of their passengers.
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