You have to credit this Dallas Morning News story about Uber’s recruitment efforts for throwing a reference to the company’s financial problems up in the first sentence. One problem: those problems get glossed right over in favor of many words for the company line. The story is framed as a profile of two young recruiters who have apparently not been asked by potential hires about the billions of dollars the company has lost over the last few quarters, but have a perfect plan if that comes up:
Uber’s two on-the-ground recruiters, Katie Gonzalez and Gianni Sesto, said no job candidates have asked about the company’s financial pressures. If they did, the recruiters said, they’d point to the nearby construction pit where Uber’s new 23-story tower is rising. Uber already leased and moved into a 16-story tower on the same site.
Job candidate: “Yes, um, what am I to make of all these stories about Uber’s spending habits? And of some analysts seeing only a tenuous path to profitability?”
Gonzalez and Sesto: [Sitting in new, 16-story tower, motioning to pit where 23-story tower will go] “Asked and answered, pal. Now let’s talk gym memberships.”
Of course, the real news comes six paragraphs in. Uber was granted sizable incentives for this project. It could earn up to $24 million from the state’s Texas Enterprise Fund, $9.3 million from the city, and $2.6 million from Dallas County. Last fall, on the heels of the announcement, Uber projected it would have 400 people in Dallas by the start of 2020.
It has about 150. Rest assured that a spokesperson says this has nothing to do with finances.
“We’re not at 400 yet, but that isn’t due to any change in strategy or expectations,” he said. “We clearly have no shortage of great candidates, but our recruiting process is a fair, deliberate process.”
