Sarah Lacy on Early Uber Investor Shervin Pishevar: The Least Kept Secret in the Valley
Venture capitalist and early Uber investor Shervin Pishevar has been accused of sexual harassment by six women. technology journalist and author Sarah Lacy, whose company was funded by Pishevar, joined Cheddar to respond to the the news.
“I was not surprised there were allegations, I was surprised at the physical nature of them,” she said. “I thought it was incredibly disturbing.”
Lacy drew comparisons to filmmaker Harvey Weinstein, accusations against whom opened the floodgates for recent claims of harassment in Hollywood.
Lacy, who cut ties with Pishevar long ago, says she had a hostile fallout with him and she was not surprised the story was the “least kept secret in Silicon Valley.” She says that some news organizations have been researching this case since July.
Pishevar, who also cofounded Hyperloop One, the high speed transportation project inspired by business magnate Elon Musk, reportedly made unwanted advances towards work associates that ranged from groping to forcibly kissing them to showing the staff inappropriate images.
He is the latest of many tech heavyweights who have come under fire for sexual misconduct allegations. Founders of incubator 500 Startups and VC firms DFJ and Binary Capital have all resigned in recent months. Andy Rubin, the creator of the Android operating system, announced a leave of absence from his current company this week.
While many women in Hollywood have publicly come forward to identify their aggressor, Pishevar’s accusers have mostly chosen to remain anonymous. Lacy says they have good reason to be afraid of any backlash.
“Shervin Pishevar is the biggest defender left in the investor base of [Uber’s] Emil Michael and Travis Kalanick and particularly their tactics to silence critics, which involved, in my case, the threat of a million dollars to try to destroy my family.”
Lacy has written about what she calls a “toxic” culture at Uber for years. She says that former executive Emil Michael, who was forced out in June amid HR complaints, tried to launch a smear campaign against critics, including herself.
“Every woman who is coming forward against him is incredibly brave,” she said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/shervin-pishevar-accused-of-sexual-misconduct).
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
