Uber Rape Scandal, Lyft Rivalry, Spying Controversy Are Fodder For Sketch Comics In Funny Or Die Video

Surge pricing won’t help you now. Uber Technologies Inc. is the target of a satirical video Thursday in which a sketch comedy team lampoons the public relations-challenged Silicon Valley tech company. The video, “An Apology From Uber,” was posted exclusively to Funny or Die and comes amid a number of high-profile controversies for the rapidly growing ride-sharing service. In it, sketch comics from the Los Angeles troupe “Hush Money” play Uber executives announcing various new features and policies at the company, each a mocking reference to a recent Uber scandal.

In the video, one executive, played by Monika Scott, announces the “Stab a Lyft Driver” program, which rewards Uber drivers who impale 10-inch blades through the hearts of Lyft drivers. (According to the terms of the faux program, each dead Lyft driver is redeemable for one free iPhone 3.) The phony rewards program is an allusion to Uber’s infamously nasty rivalry with fellow ride-sharing service Lyft.

The next scene features comic Luke Jensen as Uber’s head of human resources, who announces that Uber will begin conducting thorough background checks on all of its drivers “to make absolutely sure that they are convicted rapists.” The segment is a reference to several instances over the last year in which Uber drivers were accused of sexual assault.

The video concludes with a shot of Uber vice president Tim Rawley, played by George Coffey, digging through a reporter’s trash looking for “any information I may be able to blackmail them with.” The scene is a reference to a controversy last year in which an Uber executive, as first reported by BuzzFeed, suggested spying on a tech journalist who had been writing negative stories about the company.

Uber was recently valued at $40 billion, according to the New York Times' DealBook. In January, the website 24/7 Wall Street ranked Uber as one of the most hated companies in America.

Watch the full video below.