Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Uber's Governance Reset: The Board Confr...

Cheng, Yo-Jud;Pini...

Case

Uber's Governance Reset: The Board Confronts a Culture in Crisis

Cheng, Yo-Jud; Pinisetti, Rituparni

S-0488 | Published September 17, 2026 | 9 Pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

Product Details

In June 2017, the board of directors for Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber), including Arianna Huffington, met to consider the findings of an investigation into the company’s workplace culture. The investigation followed former Uber engineer Susan Fowler’s public account of sexual harassment and gender discrimination at the company and came amid mounting scrutiny of Uber’s aggressive culture and a series of ethical and legal controversies. The resulting Holder Report offered 47 recommendations addressing senior leadership, board oversight, internal controls, human resources, diversity and inclusion, and employee policies and practices. As Uber approached a potential initial public offering, Huffington and the board had to determine whether to adopt the recommendations in full, implement them selectively, or leave implementation largely to management. The case examines the board’s role in responding to organizational culture and governance failures and asks students to consider the appropriate boundaries between board oversight and management responsibility.