Pando’s Sarah Lacy on Uber Controversy: Investors Won’t Act

Ubergate, as it’s called on Twitter, is far from over yet.

Pando founder and editor Sarah Lacy is weighing in on the bombshell report from BuzzFeed that Uber Senior Vice-President of Business Emil Michael suggested that Uber should spend $1 million to hire opposition researchers to discredit Lacy and other critical journalists.

“I think what we’ve seen is a real whipsawing back and forth in Uber and what Uber is telegraphing to the market,” Lacy said in an interview Wednesday with FBN’s Deirdre Bolton.

Lacy said both Michael and the company have come out and said that Michael’s controversial comments did not represent his or Uber’s views.

“And then as that was going on we saw a tweet from Uber NY where employees were fist bumping and dancing to Shake It Off -- literally dancing in their offices as their users were outraged,” Lacy said, indicative of the “bro” culture that she first called out in an article published on Pando in late October.

Lacy’s criticism doesn’t end with Michael or Uber, though.

“I have to say I’m most surprised by the investors,” she said, adding that she emailed several board members and investors shared by Pando and Uber.

“[I] said, you know, I need to know frankly for our relationship what the ground rules of journalism are between your firm and Pando. And frankly, for the safety of my family, where do you stand on this alleged proposed plan to spend $1 million discrediting me? And no one’s written back,” she said.

Celebrity and Uber investor Ashton Kutcher also drew Lacy’s ire for his comments on Twitter regarding the scandal.

“This isn’t fair play, and it’s scary that Ashton Kutcher thinks that journalists should have a different standard than a celebrity,” she said.

Watch the full interview from Risk & Reward above.