Uber engineer sues ex-CEO Travis Kalanick for ‘publicly degrading’ her when he grabbed the horn on her unicorn costume
- Yukti Abrol, 30, is seeking $12.5million in damages over claims of discrimination
- She claims Kalanick made her feel degraded at an Irish pub in NYC IN 2019
- Kalanick resigned from Uber in 2017 after a wave of misconduct claims
A former Uber engineer has sued ousted CEO Travis Kalanick for publicly degrading her at a party to celebrate the tech giant becoming a publicly traded company.
Yukti Abrol, 30, claims Kalanick grabbed the horn on her unicorn costume and made a masturbating gesture at the company event in an Irish pub in New York City on May, 2019.
The software developer said she wore the costume over her clothes to mark the company’s $1blllion valuation and its new status as a so-called ‘unicorn.’
‘To [Abrol’s] horror, as she entered the bar… Kalanick approached her and, without warning, grabbed the horn on her costume, made a masturbatory motion on it, smirked at her, and then walked away,’ says the lawsuit, first reviewed by The Daily B
‘[Abrol] felt humiliated and disgusted. As she looked around, she saw her team members looking at her with shock and concern. Several of her colleagues approached her to ask her if she was okay and express their disgust with Kalanick.’
Yukti Abrol, 30, claims ousted ex-Uber CEO grabbed the horn on her unicorn costume and made a masturbating gesture 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 $12.5million in damages, Abrol repeats previous accusations that Uber’s work culture is toxic for 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 ‘felt demoralized that the misogynist, male-dominated culture at… 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 $12.5million in damages, Abrol repeats previous accusations that Uber’s work culture is toxic for women and minorities.
The engineer also names Uber and two company supervisors Director of Engineering and NYC Site Lead Arun Nagarajan and Engineering Lead Ajeet Ganga.
Abrol alleges that as a ‘Punjabi-speaking person from northern India’ she suffered discrimination at the hands of two of her former bosses, who are also of Indian descent.
The suit explains: ‘Certain prejudices exist between and among the 705 recognized ethnicities in India. Some are remnants of the former caste system; others are based on skin color.
‘Another is a general animus between the peoples of south India and north India, whom the southern Indians regard as conquerors of their land. Upon information and belief, these ethnic prejudices, in part, informed Nagarajan and Ganga’s treatment of [Abrol].’
Abrol claims the discrimination and retaliation after she spoke up impacted her wellbeing and mental health.
DailyMail.com has reached out to 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 with a number of friends and family who were with him for the entirety of the event who will attest that this alleged incident is a fabrication and did not occur,’ an attorney for Kalanick said.
Abrol’s lawsuit is just the latest legal problem for Uber.
Kalanick, who helped found Uber in 2009, stepped down from the company’s helm in June 2017 under pressure from investors after a string of setbacks.
A video surfaced showing him yelling at one of his own drivers just before he stepped down
The video, which taken from inside the driver’s car in February 2017 and was key to his downfall, was published online soon after Uber’s executives had told Kalanick that he was poisoning the company’s brand.
The issues did not end with Kelanick’s exit, however – Last year, more than 500 women sued Uber claiming they were sexually assaulted, kidnapped, or otherwise attacked by drivers.
The attorney representing the women, Adam Slater said that the ride-share company’s entire model is ‘predicated on giving people a safe ride home, but rider safety was never their concern – growth was, at the expense of their passengers’ safety.
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