The woman who took down Uber gives her first interview since speaking up

Susan Fowler gives her first interview since whistleblowing on Uber.
 By 
Emma Hinchliffe
 on 
The woman who took down Uber gives her first interview since speaking up
Susan Fowler gives her first interview since whistleblowing on Uber. Credit: DAVID CHANG/EPA/REX/Shutterstock

Eight months ago, engineer Susan Fowler published a blog post describing a culture of sexism and sexual harassment throughout Uber.

Her words set off a firestorm at Uber that led to the ouster of founder Travis Kalanick as CEO, predated widespread allegations of sexual harassment against venture capitalists in Silicon Valley this summer, and even seems to draw a trail through this month's Harvey Weinstein news.

Throughout it all, Fowler has remained quiet in public, save for some light commentary on Twitter. The former Uber engineer, who now edits a technical publication for the payments company Stripe, gave her first interview since hitting publish on Feb. 19 to Maureen Dowd at the New York Times.

“I didn’t really care if they branded me a troublemaker because I hadn’t gotten that far in my life and overcome all these things to get treated inappropriately," Fowler told the Times about Uber.

"I wasn’t going to take it. I’d worked so hard. I deserved so much better. And I was, like, ‘No. That’s not OK. You don’t get to do that.’”

The profile describes Fowler's background as a self-taught physics student who was homeschooled in Arizona. Fowler is now seven months pregnant and is developing a movie about her experiences at Uber, the story noted.

Verge, the agency she's working with on the movie, describes the project as: Erin Brockovich meets The Social Network.

After she first blew the whistle on Uber's corporate culture, Fowler hired private security. She also suspected Uber of hiring private investigators once friends started getting calls.

Now, she's looking forward to having a baby girl and can't imagine any turn of events that would persuade her to return to Uber.

"I don’t think they could offer me enough money to go there."

Topics Uber

Mashable Image
Emma Hinchliffe

Emma Hinchliffe is a business reporter at Mashable. Before joining Mashable, she covered business and metro news at the Houston Chronicle.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
'The Vampire Lestat' clip sees him find out about Louis' interview
A screenshot of Lestat (Sam Reid) at a piano in 'The Vampire Lestat.'

Jimmy Kimmel reacts to Jake Paul speaking at a Trump rally
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage looking unimpressed. The caption at the bottom reads, "Trump got a visit from a celebrity..."


Uber found liable in precedent-setting sexual assault case
A hand holding a phone in front of a car with an Uber window sticker.

Jimmy Kimmel trolls Melania Trump over her new documentary
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage. The caption at the bottom reads, "All the people in the movie are giving it rave reviews."

Trending on Mashable
Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone


Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!