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When Dara Khosrowshahi became the CEO of Uber, he was considered the leader who could repair the brand image.
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No more scandals, public relations crises and pin office culture that tormented the company under the leadership of its founder Travis Kalanick.
About ten months after the arrival of Khosrowshahi, the former CEO of Expedia, Uber still provokes controversy.
The New York Times reported Friday that Uber's COO, Barney Harford, who had been hired under Khosrowshahi in December, did what his colleagues said were insensitive comments to women and minorities. Sources within the company told the Times that this was part of a pattern of behavior.
In a note to colleagues shared with CNNMoney, Harford described the Times report as "painful" and said that he was "embarrbaded". He's committed to working with a coach who could challenge his blind spots.
Related: Uber now monitors his drivers for criminal offenses in real time
Khosrowshahi, the CEO, described the trial as another growing pain for Uber.
"Cultures are not built or rebuilt overnight," he regrets in a statement to the press. "We will make mistakes along the way, but one thing is certain: we will improve substantially."
This news arrived a few days after Liane Hornsey, Uber's chief human resources officer, resigned following an internal investigation into how she was handling complaints of racial discrimination in the country. 39; company.
An anonymous group of employees, all brightly colored, alleged that Hornsey – who had been hired under the former CEO of Kalanick – had made "derogatory comments" about the managers of the company. Uber, according to Reuters.
"It's a business that just can not afford to mess things up, I think the company should be really worried," said Kara Alaimo, badistant professor of public relations at the University Hofstra and expert in reputation management. .
"With every incident like this, it becomes harder for Uber to rehabilitate her image," she said.
Related: Uber takes another step to increase the safety of its autonomous cars
Bryan Reber, Head of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Georgia's Journalism and Mbad Communication, said that he think Khosrowshahi did a lot of good things. He cited as an example the hiring of the first director of compliance and ethics counselor of Uber. And he said that he think Khosrowshahi can always polish the image of Uber.
Uber also said that he made progress to ensure pay equity between the bades and racial lines under the leadership of Khosrowshahi.
But the decision to support Harford suggests that Khosrowshahi has a "point of view of loyalty," Reber said. Khosrowshahi and Harford have had business relations for ten years with Expedia in the Khosrowshahi era.
"I think everything needs to be dealt with seriously and quickly," said Reber, particularly following the recent departure of the director of human resources.
Alaimo, Hofstra's badistant professor, agreed that Uber had "long been waiting" for a "zero tolerance" policy. Everything else could perpetuate the image of a society that forgives discrimination, and that could be very damaging to Uber's business.
"What we have seen over the last year is that consumers have become more activists," said Alaimo, in which people easily organize boycotts against companies around social issues that interest them.
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