Uber settles sexual harassment charges for $4.4M

Uber has agreed to set aside $4.4 million to compensate women who were harassed or faced retaliation during their time at the company, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced on Wednesday.

Uber agreed to create the fund after an extensive EEOC investigation this week concluded that Uber had enabled and fostered a culture of sexual harassment and gender discrimination over the course of several years.

The investigation and settlement strikes at the heart of one of Uber’s longest-standing issues, both internally and in the court of public opinion: whether it mistreats female employees, drivers and passengers. For years, Uber has struggled to shrug off intense criticism of its male-dominated workforce and concerns around whether it does enough to protect female riders from being sexually assaulted.

EEOC said it found “reasonable cause” to believe that Uber had permitted a culture of “sexual harassment and retaliation against individuals who complained about such harassment,” a violation of decades-old civil rights laws.

“We’ve worked hard to ensure that all employees can thrive at Uber by putting fairness and accountability at the heart of who we are and what we do,” said Uber’s Chief Legal Officer Tony West. “I am extremely pleased that we were able to work jointly with the EEOC in continuing to strengthen these efforts.”