Uber’s Vice President of Product and Growth Ed Baker has decided to leave the company and resigned. Baker’s resignation would be fairly routine if somewhat surpising but for the conditions that currently pervade Uber. Apparently, Baker’s name is being mixed up with some allegations of a rather unpleasant nature and it might be those allegations, that led to his sudden departure from the company.
Marketplace head Daniel Graf is taking over Baker’s responsibilities until a more suitable replacement can be found.
As per Recode, which first reported the exit, Baker cited his sudden exit down to a desire to work in the public sector:
I have always wanted to apply my experience in technology and growth to the public sector. And now seems like the right moment to get involved.
Baker joined Uber in 2013 and before here, headed international growth at Facebook for a period of two years. He joined Facebook after the social media giant acquired his dating app Friend.ly in 201.
Meanwhile, Baker’s departure comes on the heel of that of Amit Singhal, senior VP of engineering, who was asked to leave the company after his failure to inform the company about allegations of sexual harassment levied at him during his Google stint, came to the surface. There are rumors that Baker’s departure may have been influenced by the current environment at the ride hailing company.
While said to be a well-liked man at Uber who has has never had any allegations raised against him, there are certain rumors about Baker being seen in compromising situation with a co-employee a couple of years ago. Apparently, someone apprised board member Ariana Huffington (who is also investigating the Susan Fowler case) of the situation. Considering the tight spot Uber is in with regards to workplace ethics, this could have set off a chain of events culminating in this departure.
