Uber Under Fire For Sexist Kitchen Comment In ‘Wife Appreciation Day’ Promotion

Uber is yet again in the unfortunate position of having to apologize for a public flub. In its latest blunder, Uber sent out a promotional social media message to customers in Bangalore, India, in which it urged husbands to “let your wife take a day off from the kitchen” for “Wife Appreciation Day.”

The message came with a promotional discount for the Uber Eats food delivery service, BBC News reported.

“Dear husbands,” the message read. “A gentle reminder – Today is Wife Appreciation Day! Order on UberEATs and let your wife take a day off from the kitchen.”

The promotion was swiftly denounced by Uber chief brand officer Bozoma Saint John, who called it “unacceptable.” The company tweeted that it was “totally inappropriate.”

“We’ve removed it,” Uber said. “And we apologize.”

Uber is no stranger to botched messages and public relations nightmares. The company has been fending off allegations of sexism and harassment, which led to founder and CEO Travis Kalanick stepping down from the company in June.

In February 2014, Kalanick was skewered for apparent sexism after he made a joke about his desirability, saying, “We call that Boob-er.” Before he left the company, Kalanick again came under fire for sending a company-wide message regarding a party in which he outlined rules about inter-office sex and “keg throwing.”

“Do not have sex with another employee UNLESS a) you have asked that person for the privilege and they have responded with an emphatic, ‘YES! I will have sex with you,” he wrote. “AND b) the two (or more) of you do not work in the same chain of command. Yes, that means that Travis will be celibate on this trip. #CEOLife #FML.”

Even after Kalanick’s ouster, the company continued to battle allegations of sexism. In a June meeting discussing former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder’s recommendation about how to fix Uber’s culture, a board member started the meeting with a sexist joke. David Bonderman later apologized for the comment after audio was leaked, calling his words “disrespectful” and “inappropriate.”