back to article What a tit! Uber CEO hijacks his staff breast-pump room to meditate

Uber boss Travis Kalanick is once again making headlines – this time for taking over a designated employee lactation room to use for meditation. This is according to Uber board member Arianna Huffington, who said during a telly interview that the ride-sharing startup's bro-in-chief has been using the mindfulness sessions as …

  1. tfewster
    Joke

    Perfect

    A lactation room is just the place for a tit

    1. Anonymous C0ward

      Re: Perfect

      Yeah, but not a gigantic bell-end.

  2. RichardB

    Just wondering - are lactation rooms a common implementation in sexist western businesses these days? Genuinely had no idea that companies were so backwards as to be forcing women into hiding away in shame to do such a natural, nourishing act for their babies.

    Crazy.

    1. jake Silver badge

      THEY aren't hiding in shame.

      Rather, they are hidden from prudes who are fucking idiots.

      1. Diogenes

        Re: THEY aren't hiding in shame.

        Not all women are comfortable flashing and doing the "look at moiee, look at moiee" virtue signalling when breastfeeding and prefer some privacy. My D-i-L who is no prude, always retreats to the parents room when out, as the grandson is not as distracted and takes less time to latch on, on stays latched on rather than be startled by noises, & generally try to take in everything going on around him.

        A lactation room gives them the choice, but if they prefer to feed in the middle of a cubicle farm as long as company policy does not force them who gives a rats.

        1. jake Silver badge

          Re: THEY aren't hiding in shame.

          Virtue signaling? Oh, my, gawd/ess. What an ass.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: THEY aren't hiding in shame.

            For women who are breastfeeding but don't want to bring their baby to work, a lactation room also allows them to regularly pump out milk, that they can use later to feed their baby.

            1. Korev Silver badge

              Re: THEY aren't hiding in shame.

              The rooms also allow female visitors to attend. I had to arrange the use of one of the rooms at work which enabled a newish mother to attend a conference we were hosting.

          2. Andrew Moore

            Re: THEY aren't hiding in shame.

            Someone mentioned "Virtue Signaling"? That's the sign of a "Thingy Namer"...

    2. Dan 55 Silver badge
      WTF?

      Would women really want to partially undress in front of their coworkers and use a breast pump?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Only in western business that forces women to be back to work when they still need to lactate their babies. In more advanced countries they can return to work later.

      1. MrDamage Silver badge

        It's not the western businesses forcing them to return to work, it's their desire to afford a mcmansion and BMW that's "forcing" them to give up the bonding time with their crotchgoblin.

        1. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge

          new shit has come to light

          ooh "my vote will be recorded , and totals updated shortly" that's new!

          1. Kane
            Thumb Up

            Re: new shit has come to light

            "ooh "my vote will be recorded , and totals updated shortly" that's new!"

            I know, I upvoted you just so I could see it again!

          2. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

            Re: new shit has come to light

            ooh "my vote will be recorded , and totals updated shortly" that's new!

            And much better than the old system that forced the post that you were voting on to be automatically at the top of the screen..

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          You mean in those countries which don't have *paid* maternity leave - where US is among the very few ones in the civilized (and often in the less civilized too) world.

          1. Col_Panek

            Where did you get the idea 'Murica is in the civilized world? Watch some Flat Earth YouTube videos.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        > Only in western business that forces women

        I understand that you are referring to places with short parental leave allowances, but please also consider that some woman may want to return to work early for various reasons.

  3. jake Silver badge

    Seems to me that ...

    ... humans are the only mammals which don't place pregnant & lactating females above all else. It's a survival of the species thing.

    We should be ashamed of ourselves. Or perhaps extinct.

    1. Eric Olson

      Re: Seems to me that ...

      We should be ashamed of ourselves. Or perhaps extinct.

      After observing my sons growing up, I'm surprised we've lasted this long. It's almost like surviving childhood is accidental.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Seems to me that ...

        After observing my sons growing up, I'm surprised we've lasted this long.

        And how do they compare to you at that age? I'm very pleased and grateful that Ledswinger Jr. is actually a far more mature, worldly wise, considerate, harder working, less risk-taking animal than I was at his age. The soap-aversion is just the same, mind you.

        1. Eric Olson

          Re: Seems to me that ...

          Still rather young, so I have to rely on secondhand anecdotes... but if I took more risks than they already do, it's a miracle I made it to my teens.

  4. LaeMing
    Alert

    TBF, if the room wasn't being used for its intended purpose and no-one was likely to do so for the time, why not use it for meditation. The guy is a DB to be sure, but I think this is just slow-news-day material.

    ...

    Nothing but cheap TITilaton for the already-howling*-readers, really.

    * And rightly so, though for better reasons than this.

    1. tfewster

      I agree it's probably not significant, but it sends the wrong messages. Presumably he already has an office and a PA, to ensure he's not disturbed. Is meditating on company time a perk for everyone at Uber? And can anyone at Uber just take over an empty room, denying its use for its intended purpose?

      1. GruntyMcPugh Silver badge

        Depends what he wanted to muse on. So I guess he wanted to think about boobies.

        1. jake Silver badge

          He's a birder?

          Whodathunkit.

  5. bleh_meh

    Required listening

    The Dollop ep 271 http://thedollop.libsyn.com/271-uber

    Although most of this you already know, much of it was new for me especially the early history

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Uber: Tits out or

    Tits up!

  7. Long John Brass
    Coat

    Over inflating the problem

    How big do they get after pumping?

    Is there a risk of over inflating them?

    What are the risks / downsides of burst boobs?

    Inquiring minds etc..

  8. EveryTime

    Lactation rooms are generally for using a breast pump, not for breastfeeding.

    Even if your stance is that breastfeeding is natural and is OK in public, running a breast pump isn't really a cubical activity. Even if only because of the noise.

    1. Korev Silver badge

      No idea why you were downvoted for that. Any noisey activity in today's open place office is a PITA, especially for people like us in IT who need to concentrate for a long periods.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    colour me surprised

    I have nothing against the concept of a lactation room, i am wondering just how many new mothers are working in an office for this to be a good use of space.

    "He only used it because we haven't got meditation rooms yet".... WTF, no wonder these startups burn through cash so quick. One of these days someone will come up with some crazy idea like a WORK room... maybe they can call it an office.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: colour me surprised

      Frankly, never seen them used. They usually got repurposed as something else after a year of two sitting empty.

    2. Cuddles

      Re: colour me surprised

      "I have nothing against the concept of a lactation room, i am wondering just how many new mothers are working in an office for this to be a good use of space.

      "He only used it because we haven't got meditation rooms yet".... WTF"

      Indeed, it seems a bit odd to have dedicated rooms for all kinds of niche activities. We have a rest/prayer room that is essentially just a multipurpose "If there's some reason you need a room out of the way of everyone else, here it is" room. Presumably if there was constant conflict between milkers and meditators they would try to find space for a second multipurpose room. The idea that a business could have so much spare space that they can have a separate room for every possible activity they can think up is just bizarre.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Prayer room put to useful work

    Our designated prayer room was recently 'renamed', via nicely a made sign, the meditation room after a local football side was soundly thrashed.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Is Kalanick office too small and uncomfortable to meditate?

    US businesses looks more and more absurd, and yes, they deserve to be outsourced to India with all this 'meditation' nonsense.

  12. LaeMing
    Happy

    Meditation Room.

    It is where you store all the crashed Commodore Amigas?

  13. Alister

    Our meditation rooms have very nice porcelain fittings, with wooden seats, and hot and cold running water available...

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge
      Coat

      Nice porcelain fittings? Wooden seats? Hot running water? Luxury...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      You're lucky, we have broken seats, not working ones, and often a nasty smell around. I'm sure the meditations rooms for women are better because they are usually far better trained about how to use a meditation room without breaking things and using fittings properly, but I can't check personally.

      1. LaeMing
        Unhappy

        Nope, we aren't, on the whole.

  14. jonathan keith

    FTFY

    - app maker

    + taxi firm

  15. Baldrickk

    On one level this seems overhyped.

    I get all the sexist claims that have already been made, but as the article says, the room was empty at the time.

    It doesn't say if he blocked anyone else from coming in and turfing him out. If that is the case, this reads a lot like "man uses vacant room"

    If he did inconvenience others by being there - fair enough.

    1. stephanh

      No worries, there are hardly any women at Uber left anyway.

      (Although I understand men have perfectly functional milk glands which are waiting all their lives for the hormonal signal which never comes. Tragic, really.)

    2. Korev Silver badge

      It doesn't say if he blocked anyone else from coming in and turfing him out. If that is the case, this reads a lot like "man uses vacant room"

      If he did inconvenience others by being there - fair enough.

      Would you feel comfortable turfing your CEO out of a room? If half of what you hear about Uber is true then it could even be "career limiting".

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Without reference to any particular case...

        > Would you feel comfortable turfing your CEO out of a room?

        ... if the CEO is not supposed to be there, by all means.

        > If half of what you hear about Uber is true then it could even be "career limiting".

        Bullies tend to behave in a very obsequious manner towards assertive people, they only prey on the insecure (not accusing someone I have never met of being a bully, just a general observation).

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      > If he did inconvenience others by being there - fair enough.

      Well, he does inconvenience others by there being.

  16. werdsmith Silver badge

    Uber is at the wrong end of the PR drag curve.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    El reg - the daily mail of tech

    As this "news" is clearly pointless bullshit.

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: El reg - the daily mail of tech

      And yet here you are.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: El reg - the daily mail of tech

      It's the comment section that's becoming like the daily mail...

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: El reg - the daily mail of tech

        And yet again, here you are.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: El reg - the daily mail of tech

        >It's the comment section that's becoming like the daily mail...

        This is the puzzle and anagram section of The Register:

        ellwufckffohten.

      3. Dan 55 Silver badge

        Re: El reg - the daily mail of tech

        It's not. It really isn't.

        1. fedoraman

          Re: El reg - the daily mail of tech

          I'm only here to see the shiny new red "your vote has been recorded..." banner!

          1. Andrew Moore

            Re: El reg - the daily mail of tech

            Here, have an upvote so I can see it too...

    3. Rosie Davies

      Re: El reg - the daily mail of tech

      The Daily MAIL? My word this wonderful rag has gone up in the world. I remember when it barely aspired to the level of the Daily Sport.

      Rosie

  18. Andrew Moore

    Oh dear...

    I read the headline as "Uber CEO hijacks his staff breast-pump to meditate" and completely missed the word "room". It gave a completely different spin to the article...

  19. Jamesit

    Why couldn't he meditate in his office?

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Plenty of women

    Well, I haven't worked at Uber long, but there's plenty of women in the London office. Quite a few pregnant ones too. The bad news is that I have yet to be sexually harassed :-)

  21. Mr Dogshit

    My copy of "Debrett's New Guide to Etiquette and Modern Manners" states "It is bad manners to expel liquid from any orifice in public."

    If you want to get your tits out, there's a time and a place for that.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Be careful to never shed a tear, then...

      1. jake Silver badge

        Breaking a sweat is right out.

        And getting a paper cut is a hanging offense.

      2. BongoJoe

        That, according to the adherents of Debrett's, would be one of the more heineous crimes possible.

        Lip. Upper and stiff. If you please.

  22. alan55

    meditation room? WTF?

  23. Stevie

    Bah!

    I'll just adjust the clickbait headline for you:

    UBER CEO MEDITATES FOR A BIT IN OTHERWISE EMPTY ROOM.

  24. Mike Moyle

    An Uber CEO sits in an empty room. The room remains empty.

    1. Stevie

      4MikeMoyle

      Ah Mike, you missed a really neat edit of your excellent post. My version:

      Uber CEO

      Sitting in an empty room

      Room remains empty.

      Which is poor, I know, but shows the potential.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Priority

    Perhaps a Thinking Room might be in order? Or maybe just a Time Out Room - a chair in a corner might serve.

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