Dear Ms Saint John. When you're done with Uber can you go work with the Democratic Party? It seems they could use the help of someone like you in identifying better strategies for communicating with the masses.
21
Agree w/SR, nothing good about Uber, Lyft; continues to normalize the "gig" economy, further destroys the environment by adding more particulate pollution to the air increasing respiratory diseases, adds to traffic congestion as roads are more congested (think LA, NYC, wherever) thanks for all these additional drivers...
3
There are many comments asking why this article wasn't on the front page of the business section and questioning the content. I find it ironic that this woman-power story ran on the same day as the front page Review article: "Why Women Aren't CEOs". The answer is clearly because women aren't taken seriously enough to put in the business section.
If you cut through the fluff of the article about Ms. Saint John, she's a very impressive woman with an awesome resume who was brought in to save Uber from its misogynistic culture. All the Uber stories that preceded it were in the business section. Shame on the NYT for relegating the story about the woman to the Styles section.
If you cut through the fluff of the article about Ms. Saint John, she's a very impressive woman with an awesome resume who was brought in to save Uber from its misogynistic culture. All the Uber stories that preceded it were in the business section. Shame on the NYT for relegating the story about the woman to the Styles section.
46
We asked our editor to respond to your comment:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/28/reader-center/bozoma-saint-john-uber.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/28/reader-center/bozoma-saint-john-uber.html
I don't want Uber to be saved, let alone by a marketer—female, black or otherwise.
It needs to die with the rest of the rigged "gig" economy.
It needs to die with the rest of the rigged "gig" economy.
14
Not convinced she can save Uber. But she sure has style!
You go and show'em how it's done as a Woman. No need to emulate men.
Wow, this is what the human experience should embody! Living in a fast paced, career focused environment like NYC, we can miss so much. We're so focused on our destination that we forget to be present in the moment. Boz was present. In being so, she added value to a complete stranger human experience. Bravo! People, stay present, slow down a little--you might miss something invaluable as this!
6
-- "... she would be a great person to tell these amazing stories of our drivers, to touch people’s hearts, to bring more humanity to the brand"
Not to fix the company culture. Not to build better relationships with exploited drivers. Not to deal lawfully with regulators. No -- just to tell stories about how everything is wonderful.
Not to fix the company culture. Not to build better relationships with exploited drivers. Not to deal lawfully with regulators. No -- just to tell stories about how everything is wonderful.
24
'Brand officers,' even black women who hang out with Beyonce or whoever in the style section of the Times, do not save companies. This is tokenism, and everyone in Silicon Valley knows it.
37
What a magnificent being! May she put her many gifts to good use.
5
"The hunt is on for his successor."
Why? She's right in front of you Travis.
Why? She's right in front of you Travis.
8
Great story! She IS a goddess. Thank you Spike, Apple, Arianna, and Uber for giving this beautiful Black woman a chance. She's definitely got talent.
3
I enjoyed reading this and sent to my niece to see the possibilities. No problems with her on the beach with her friends, we need our execs to show that hey, I am human.
Didn't the Times recently publish a piece about a Goldman exec who DJ's in his spare time? I think stories like these are great as we are not drones and need to have fun to make.
This should not have been in the Styles section, shame on you NYT!
Didn't the Times recently publish a piece about a Goldman exec who DJ's in his spare time? I think stories like these are great as we are not drones and need to have fun to make.
This should not have been in the Styles section, shame on you NYT!
7
She's a cut-rate tool of the billionaire class. No, I'm not sympathetic. This company needs a union to protect workers from the oligarchs who run it, including the phony liberal Huffington, and the ex-Obamite Plouffe, et al. Workers the world over despise it. Force them to obey same laws as cab drivers, stop pushing drivers to drive empty, stop forcing them to buy expensive gas hogs, and cut that limousine junk, period. The jive liberalism oozing from this company is exactly why the Democrats lost in November and why, with Shumer and Pelosi still in charge, they're still stuck in Park.
23
Executive hiring decisions in IT matter. Having capable people like Ms. Porat at Google or Ms. Saint John at Uber show the public and shareholders that they mean business, while also giving these highly capable executives greater licence to plot a new course, should one be necessary.
4
I really think that the NY Times lost on this article in so many ways. First off, the title of the article, and I have an answer. NO. This is not the Woman Who Will Save Uber. After reading the title I was hoping for information on company strategy, what she has planned for Uber and perhaps some insight on the company today. Didn't get that. What I was not expecting was a fluff piece on her style, high profile encounters and social media savvy. Who cares!
This article should have been titled " Bozoma Saint John sure can Facebook!" and then the article should have been sold to People Magazine.
Get it together, NY Times.
This article should have been titled " Bozoma Saint John sure can Facebook!" and then the article should have been sold to People Magazine.
Get it together, NY Times.
31
If she can turn this around, she'll be interview for White House Press Secretary next!
It's sad that today everything is all about the message. And nothing is about the substance.
We're becoming a vacuous culture with no depth.
It's sad that today everything is all about the message. And nothing is about the substance.
We're becoming a vacuous culture with no depth.
8
This superficial article annoys me. It is great that Ms. Saint John is a competent, dynamic powerhouse although the author seems to focus more on her stiletto heels and her expensive Chanel tops. But is she being hired as the token black woman to gloss over the Uber reality which is overworked "self-employed" drivers who must hand over 25% of what they earn, receiving no benefits except the chance to be part of the Uber network? Moreover, as if taking an Uber driver to dinner with his favorite artist is going to change his day to day living situation... I think not.
25
Despite the fact that this should be on the cover of the business section, this was a wonderful story. NYT should do a Monday newsletter about inspirational business leaders. Sometimes it's hard to get up on Monday mornings. But when you read about positive, smart, compassionate business professionals it inspires you to be your best self, and keep plugging along.
4
A good place to start, would be treating the drivers better if they want better service. They could actually make sure that a driver makes more than minimum wage, which depending the region, is not the case. Uber and Lyft play this price war to gain customers and they hardly care because it comes out of the driver's pocket, not their profits. You want a better reputation stop being a slave driver! In your business your drivers are the face of the company, if they feel exploited, the face of your company will be an unhappy one and your customers will feel it. This is business 101 folks and both of these companies lyft and uber forgot to attend the class.
4
She sounds amazing.
1
Is there a reason why this article is in the Style section rather than the Business section? Curious as to the reasoning behind the decision-making process, as it seems to me that this particular piece would have been more appropriate for the latter rather than the former.
73
Absolutely right. My very first thought at seeing the headline.
9
You know what the reasoning is. She's a woman and thus, relegated to a lifestyle section. Meanwhile, we have a buffoon for a president who makes the front page regularly. Go figure!
20
It strikes me as a huge setback for women executives in business being taken seriously to run a story like this that emphasizes the subject's looks, fashion sense, and "attitude" rather than her substantive accomplishments, apparently with her enthusiastic participation.
Her assertion that her mere presence was an accomplishment and her self-congratulatory noblesse oblige story about lifting the poor little Uber driver above his social station are not encouraging.
Her assertion that her mere presence was an accomplishment and her self-congratulatory noblesse oblige story about lifting the poor little Uber driver above his social station are not encouraging.
43
Uber is great. I hope she succeeds.
This article inadvertently offers a glimpse into who keeps the underlings in line in Corporate America.
It's not the bros; it's the PC police.
Carry on drones.
This article inadvertently offers a glimpse into who keeps the underlings in line in Corporate America.
It's not the bros; it's the PC police.
Carry on drones.
4
Thank you for the article; we'd like more about Black women. Editorial: Ms. Saint John is a widowed mother not a "single mother." That means something else.
88
Goddess
4
I'm not taking anything away from Ms. St. John, but putting an African American in a high profile leadership position is not enough, and looks more like a stunt/window dressing. It's like an abuse-ridden police department: hiring a Black police chief might be a start in some instances, but police departments have deeply-ingrained cultures, and all kinds of internal networks, alliances, systems, practices, etc. that can and will resist change.
Uber is a broken company that was founded with an aggressive and exploitative model at its core. It is part of the insidious and predatory nature of the "gig economy," in which nearly all risk is shifted to the workers (do they even get health insurance?) The now-infamous video of its now-ex-CEO Tavis Kalnick berating am Uber driver is revealing of a culture and attitude of "winners vs. losers."
Kind of like having a Black or female president of the USA, giving the appearance of reform and change while endless wars of aggression and Wall St. first economic policy continue unabated.
And finally, to echo Mary Leonhardt's cogent earlier comment, why is this article in the Style section, and why is this woman C-level exec of a major company pictured in a bikini on a beach? A bizarre and apparently sexist editorial choice.
Uber is a broken company that was founded with an aggressive and exploitative model at its core. It is part of the insidious and predatory nature of the "gig economy," in which nearly all risk is shifted to the workers (do they even get health insurance?) The now-infamous video of its now-ex-CEO Tavis Kalnick berating am Uber driver is revealing of a culture and attitude of "winners vs. losers."
Kind of like having a Black or female president of the USA, giving the appearance of reform and change while endless wars of aggression and Wall St. first economic policy continue unabated.
And finally, to echo Mary Leonhardt's cogent earlier comment, why is this article in the Style section, and why is this woman C-level exec of a major company pictured in a bikini on a beach? A bizarre and apparently sexist editorial choice.
51
Why can't a black female C-level executive be seen on the beach in a bikini? We live in a country where any woman can choose to wear a suit - change into a bikini, AND be seen in it! Would you question that photo if she were a white female C-level executive from Nantucket or Montauk? Did you not see the other profile photos?
You don't want to take anything away from Ms. Saint John, yet you bypass the fact she was a marketing executive for Apple and other first rate corporations. That's no small feat - for anyone.
As for me, a black American female, I personally see inspiration and hope in corporations trusting and knowing that they can find talent outside the "white box". I'm waiting to see what she can do in her position, so I feel comfortable using my Uber app again. That should be the sole takeaway from this NYT article on Ms. Bozoma St. John.
You don't want to take anything away from Ms. Saint John, yet you bypass the fact she was a marketing executive for Apple and other first rate corporations. That's no small feat - for anyone.
As for me, a black American female, I personally see inspiration and hope in corporations trusting and knowing that they can find talent outside the "white box". I'm waiting to see what she can do in her position, so I feel comfortable using my Uber app again. That should be the sole takeaway from this NYT article on Ms. Bozoma St. John.
2
Mia, my point was about systemic change, and not individual advancement. Uber no doubt intends Ms. St. John's appointment to signal deep and sorely-needed change at that scandal-ridden, reputation-in-tatters company. But even a C-level individual executive needs a broad mandate and extensive support in order to make deep, enduring *systemic* change, and what signs do we have that Uber is putting that in place?
I think you also missed my point about the bikini picture (not the only body image-focused photo in the article, btw) and about this article being in the Style section, and not the Business section. It's unlikely that a man appointed to such a position at Uber would be depicted in such a manner. Notice that mens' business attire, for example, is meant to DE-emphasize physical differences, and men still predominate and call most shots in power positions (even in the fashion industry(!)), and there's a reason why those in power have for decades de-emphasized physical differences, while promoting its copious display for women. One is free to view more revealing business attire as liberating for women, but I see it as quite the opposite.
I think you also missed my point about the bikini picture (not the only body image-focused photo in the article, btw) and about this article being in the Style section, and not the Business section. It's unlikely that a man appointed to such a position at Uber would be depicted in such a manner. Notice that mens' business attire, for example, is meant to DE-emphasize physical differences, and men still predominate and call most shots in power positions (even in the fashion industry(!)), and there's a reason why those in power have for decades de-emphasized physical differences, while promoting its copious display for women. One is free to view more revealing business attire as liberating for women, but I see it as quite the opposite.
2
She keeps the photo on her desk. You missed the point.
1
I love this story. Please continue featuring profiles of black- and black-women executives.
28
I wonder if a feature story about a man hired to change the branding image at Uber would be in the Style section, or in the Business section. My guess is the Business section. And do you think the article would contain a picture of him posing in his bathing suit with a bunch of his friends? I am so disappointed we are seeing this sexism in the NY Times.
159
I agree it should be in the Business section, but as a woman myself the bikini photo doesn't bother me. I've seen profile articles on men with photos of them swimming, in shorts, etc. The only reason I can think of NYT placing this article in Style is because they assume women don't traffic the Business section.
18
But she posted that picture herself as part of her social media brand. So, doesn't that make it fair game? I really admire her for living so fearlessly and putting it out there.
12
Don, Jr. made the cover of the Style section a few weeks back- he was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt and it was all about his big game trophy hunting in Africa! Tell me how that is "style"?
1
I doubt Uber's problems are about savvy Instagram posts, and social media updates; unless Ms Bozoma is in charge of policy, then this story is non-sense.
Uber can start by not stealing from their drivers, by not having a slash and burn policy with taxi owners, most of them hard working struggling middle class people who are stuck with declining prices on their medallions.
Good for her though, she sounds like a great person.
Uber can start by not stealing from their drivers, by not having a slash and burn policy with taxi owners, most of them hard working struggling middle class people who are stuck with declining prices on their medallions.
Good for her though, she sounds like a great person.
43
I enjoyed reading about her empathy and humanity with her Uber driver. If someone is going to change a negative company culture, it sounds like she has the right mindset.
17
So in the Iggy Pop story, did Uber leave the driver to pay for his own car? What a lovely company. One can imagine an executive anywhere learning that an employee had got their car smashed up because of the company and thinking a dinner was fair compensation, but surely nowhere but Silicon Valley could they go on to try to tell the story as one showed the company in a good light.
17
I wondered about paying for the driver's damages. If they did, plenty of other drivers will want their damages from taxi-driver vandalism paid. And in all fairness, they should be paid.
There is always a problem when workers who have found a way to make a decent living have that living challenged by new cheaper workers coming in. It is as if they were strike busters in union terms.
All of these drivers deserve a decent living.
There is always a problem when workers who have found a way to make a decent living have that living challenged by new cheaper workers coming in. It is as if they were strike busters in union terms.
All of these drivers deserve a decent living.
2
I wish someone would ask why those taxi drivers vandalized the uber driver's car. There's the story. Could it be that they used to make a decent wage and now they don't? Uber breaks laws. That's the story.
30
Neither do uber or lyft drivers. If you think we make a decent pay you are dreaming. Down here in Miami some guys work 10 hours for barely $60.
6
Uber makes money by taking away whatever security taxi drivers had in the past. Yes, it makes for great rides for less money but it is on the backs of both Uber & Lyft Drivers as well as taxi drivers.
I agree the story of vandalization of the vehicle is a real story, but I also liked the story of Ms. Saint John who is obviously a terrific person. I hope she and Arianna Huffington can make a difference in a cut-throat company.
I agree the story of vandalization of the vehicle is a real story, but I also liked the story of Ms. Saint John who is obviously a terrific person. I hope she and Arianna Huffington can make a difference in a cut-throat company.
7
Uber has two massive problems it needs to solve at the same time: to transform itself into a civilized company, and to transform itself into a sustainably profitable one, both at the same time. Either problem alone is daunting, given the depth of the flaws in both its corporate culture and its business model. I'll be shocked if they manage both. That would be a business case study for the ages.
12
I certainly hope they succeed.
Well, the name of the company pretty much gives you the whole story, and maybe explains how impossible those goals are....
1
I can't help wonder what she would be doing for the health care debate if she'd have stayed in medical school.
30
I can't help but wonder if a comment second guessing Ms. Saint John's career choice would be posted if she were a white male.
2
She's be a doctor who doesn't accept Medicaid, like all the rest.
1
I beg to differ. There have been many (entirely justified) comments in this paper second guessing Donald tRump's career choice.
2
This is one very good salary for the daughter of immigrants, not a public policy to benefit Americans who have been disadvantaged by the new hi-tech economy.
5
Why such negativity couched in (subtle) xenophobia..?
Mrs. St John represents the best in American meritocracy - period. Our only regret is that NYT didn't put this inspiring story on the front page of its Business Section. If Uber doesn't make her (Turnaround-) CEO, maybe Revlon should !
Mrs. St John represents the best in American meritocracy - period. Our only regret is that NYT didn't put this inspiring story on the front page of its Business Section. If Uber doesn't make her (Turnaround-) CEO, maybe Revlon should !
5
How do you know what her salary is? Whatever the salary is, U guess she shouldn't be getting paid a good salary because she is a daughter of immigrants, or is it because she is a woman African American? I am sure that there are a lot of immigrants here in the USA making good money.
5