Jun 27, 2017 - Technology

Ex-Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer defends Uber's Travis Kalanick

Yahoo chief Marissa Mayer (Magnus Höij / Flickr Creative Commons)

Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is giving Travis Kalanick, who recently resigned as CEO of Uber, a pass on his company's workplace issues.

"I just don't think he knew," she said on Tuesday, speaking at the Stanford Directors' College, according to the SF Chronicle. "When your company scales that quickly, it's hard," she added, also mentioning that she's friends with Kalanick. In March, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky also offered words of support for Kalanick.

Our thought bubble: Kalanick may not have been completely ignorant of his company's culture:

  • He sent a memo in 2013 ahead of a company retreat bemoaning his inability to have sexual relations with his employees.
  • At similar company trip to Vegas in 2015 a manager groped female employees, resulting in his firing.
  • On a trip to South Korea in 2014 a group of employees, including Kalanick, went to an escort bar, prompting a female employee to tell HR it made her uncomfortable.

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Axios
Updated 6 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 5:30 p.m. ET: 33,484,120 — Total deaths: 1,004,082 — Total recoveries: 23,212,633 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 5:30 p.m. ET: 7,180,179 — Total deaths: 205,729 — Total recoveries: 2,794,608 — Total tests: 102,342,416 — Map.
  3. Health: Americans won't take Trump's word on the vaccine, Axios-Ipsos poll finds.
  4. States: NYC's coronavirus positivity rate spikes to highest since June.
  5. Sports: Tennessee Titans close facility amid NFL's first coronavirus outbreak.
  6. World: U.K. beats previous record for new coronavirus cases.
  7. Work: United States of burnout — Asian American unemployment spikes amid pandemic
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Alexi McCammond, Jonathan Swan
24 mins ago - Politics & Policy

What to watch in tonight's debate

Joe Biden (left) and President Trump (right) are facing off in Cleveland for the first presidential debate. Photos: Alex Wong (of Biden) and David Hume Kennerly (of Trump)/Getty Images

President Trump will try to break Joe Biden's composure by going after his son Hunter and other family members in tonight's first presidential debate — a campaign source tells Axios "nothing will be off the table" — while Biden plans to stick to the economy, coronavirus and new revelations about how Trump avoided paying taxes.

Driving the news: Biden and Trump are set to debate at 9 p.m. ET at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and it will be moderated by Fox News' Chris Wallace.

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Jacob Knutson
29 mins ago - Economy & Business

Massive layoffs hit Disney theme parks

A person posing for a photo in front of the iconic Disney castle at Disneyland Resort in Hong Kong on Sept, 25. Photo: Miguel Candela Poblacion/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Disney is laying off 28,000 workers at its theme parks and experiences and consumer products divisions, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

Why it matters: The coronavirus pandemic has forced the company to close its California theme parks and limit attendance at re-opened parks elsewhere around the U.S. Around 67% of the 28,000 laid off workers are part-time employees, according to Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney's parks, experiences and products division.

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