Silicon Valley’s emphasis on managing companies for fast growth may be to blame the workplace culture issues that plagued Uber, said Uber board member and Thrive Global CEO Arianna Huffington.

“When everything is sacrificed at the altar of hyper-growth, business suffers,” Huffington said on CNBC’s “Squawk Alley”. “If you sacrifice humanity, health, engagement … in the end – and the end is not very long-term — the business is going to suffer. That’s really the new wake up call [that] more and more companies in Silicon Valley and everywhere are recognizing.”

In Uber’s case, it grew rapidly but a lot of the managers didn’t have the proper training, she pointed out. One of the major problems facing tech companies is they are focused on fast growth at the expense of employee health, Huffington said.

“If you’re working longer, you’re going to make mistakes,” Huffington said. “You’re going to engage in unprofessional behavior in the workplace because you’re burnt out. Burnt out people act out.”

However Huffington believes the company has “handled” its issues and made changes, including adding CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

“One of the great benefits of [Khosrowshahi] is he’s unstoppable,” she said. “He deals with everything as it comes and moves on. He’s also hiring a great team. The General Counsel joined us from Pepsi. That will help him continue to grow the company while dealing with all the problems from the past.”

Source: Tech CNBC
Uber's culture issues can be blamed on Silicon Valley's hunger for fast growth: Arianna Huffington