Tempe CEO suspended after video shows him calling an Uber driver the N-word
An Arizona-based CEO has been fired from the business enterprise he founded after a video surfaced of him calling a black Uber driver a racial slur Friday night.
Hans Berglund, 71, has been replaced with an interim chief executive by his agricultural-product company, Agroplasma, for calling an uber driver the n-word in a video Randy Clarke released.
The incident unfolded after the CEO of Tempe fertilizer company Agroplasma, insisted on sitting in the front seat next to the driver when he was once picked up January 31 at a Scottsdale home.
Randy Clarke, an Arizona State University student who’s been an Uber driver for 4 years, asks Berglund instead to take a seat in the back, video Clarke provided to DRIVERONROAD.COM shows. Clarke, who has two video cameras in his car, hasn’t let lone riders take a seat next to him considering he was once groped in 2018 by a drunken client, he said.
Berglund asks again about sitting in front, then, after being rejected, tells Clarke to cancel the trip and says he’ll order another one, according to the video. Clarke agrees, however, Berglund curses, slams the door and gets in the back seat.
“Are you f***ing serious with me?” Berglund says, the video shows. The passenger tells Clarke he’ll ride in the back seat and later file a complaint with Uber.
Clarke then asks Berglund to cancel the trip and get out of his car, the video shows.
“Is this because I’m white? The passenger asks.
” Nooo, sir,” Clarke the uber driver says.
The passenger responds, “You’re a f***ing n****r.” You’re f***ing unbelievable.”
Two cameras in Clarke’s vehicle captured the exchange.
Clarke mentions his dashcams, then Berglund curses once more at Clarke before getting out of the car, the video shows.
As the rude passenger leaves, Clarke says, “Thank you so much. You said it on camera,” the video shows. “Whoo-hoo, this is good. This is perfect.”
The video starts before Clarke stops to pick up Berglund and ends after the two-part ways, as Clarke calls Uber to resort to a complaint about the rider.
Berglund’s lawyer informed driveronroad.com of the scene captured on video: “This is extraordinarily out of character for him.”
Berglund is extraordinarily apologetic and embarrassed wishes to do everything he can to make this as proper as he can, his lawyer said.
Uber officials informed us that the passenger in the incident no longer has access to the Uber app.
How can a CEO or founder be fired from his organization?
Is it just a play to keep the company reputation clean from this scandal?
What do you think? (leave a comment below)
