Katzenberg on Weinstein

For personal non-commercial use only. Do not edit or alter. Reproductions not permitted. To reprint or license content, please contact our reprints and licensing department at +1 800-843-0008 or www.djreprints.com JOURNAL REPORT © 2017 Dow Jones & Company. All Rights Reserved. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. Tuesday, October 24, 2017 | R1 A SPOTLIGHT ON MEDIA Katzenberg on Weinstein AND TECHNOLOGY The Hollywood icon also talks about his plan to revolutionize TV Some of the biggest names in media and technology as- sembled in Laguna Beach, Calif., last week for The Wall Street Journal’s fourth annual WSJ D.Live conference. The event kicked off with Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post and Thrive Global, discussing corporate culture issues at Uber Technologies, where she is a director. ‘The problem is Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks co-founder and partner at there’s a pack of WndrCo, spoke about Hollywood’s “casting couch” problems in the wake of Harvey Weinstein’s downfall. wolves. He is not a Other highlights included Barry Diller, chairman of IAC/ lone actor in this.’ InterActiveCorp, discussing the likelihood of more regulation for tech giants; Marc Lore, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s U.S. e- commerce chief, explaining its acquisition strategy; and Peggy Johnson, Microsoft Corp.’s executive vice president of business development, and Jennifer Nason, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. global chairman of investment banking, talking about the outlook for tech M&A. A trio of venture capitalists—GGV Capital’s Jenny Lee, Y Combinator’s Sam Altman and Section 32’s Bill Maris—fore- shadowed the future of tech investing, and executives including Intel Corp. Chief Executive Brian Krzanich and Baidu Inc. CEO Robin Li discussed the importance of artificial intel- ligence. Plus there were interviews with BuzzFeed founder Jonah Peretti, Oracle Corp. CEO Mark Hurd, Alibaba Group Executive Vice Chairman Joe Tsai, and Pershing Square Cap- ital Management head William Ackman. Here are selected excerpts. —Jason Dean NIKKI RITCHER/DOW JONES (2) It has been a difficult period with a topic that’s on every- Harvey Weinstein—my office, beginning of Hollywood. The women and people? The an- companies generally, but in for Hollywood, as the Harvey body’s mind, what happened his office, on sets, on loca- casting couch has been in Hol- swer is no. Is that because Hollywood perhaps in particu- Weinstein scandal has focused with Harvey Weinstein. Now tions, the south of France, the lywood from the beginning. there was never a forum, that lar. attention on an uncomfortable you, Jeffrey, last week in a Sundance Festival, the Penin- The complicity around the ac- I never opened myself to MR. KATZENBERG: That’s a issue for the entertainment very powerful statement spoke sula Hotel. And literally not a ceptance of it and the silence somebody to be able to have long-term solution. I’m talking business: ongoing sexual out in response to a direct single time had Harvey been about it is the crime. that conversation? Guilty. But about something that has to abuse. communication from Harvey abusive to somebody in my Harvey Weinstein, make no I’m not going to do it again. I bring this to a stop immedi- Wall Street Journal Editor Weinstein asking for you to presence, other than, “Why’s mistake about it, he is a mon- don’t think our industry is. I ately. in Chief Gerard Baker spoke support him. You responded to the car not here?” “I thought ster. The problem is there’s a think you will see in these In movies, in television, in with industry giant and former him in no uncertain terms. You that script was supposed—.” pack of wolves, he is not a coming weeks and months real live entertainment, in Las Ve- colleague of Mr. Weinstein, said he had done terrible You know, that’s not abusive lone actor in this. That’s the action. We cannot go on this gas, on Broadway shows, in Jeffrey Katzenberg. Mr. things to women, and you behavior. That’s why I said challenge that I think all of us way. the news industry, actors and Katzenberg, a former chair- went on to say there appear to there are two Harveys, be- now really have to find a way actresses, men and women, man of Walt Disney Studios, be two Harvey Weinsteins: one cause somehow or another to deal with. MR. BAKER: One thing that must audition on an ongoing, co-founder of DreamWorks that I’ve known well, appreci- this behavior was masked would clearly, presumably regular basis for their work. and now partner at WndrCo, ated and admired, and an- from me by him, but more im- MR. BAKER: You say in all your change the culture would be if So the question is: How do we spoke about the crisis and other that I’ve not known at portant, that these women encounters with Mr. Weinstein there were a lot more women address that moment and add what it means for Hollywood, all. masked it from all of us too, directly, you’ve never seen be- in senior positions in media Pleaseturntothenextpage as well as his own efforts to How on Earth could power- because they were intimi- havior like this. But you must explore new territory in short- ful people, yourself included, dated, they were scared, they have heard about it? form television. Here are ed- not have known that he was were humiliated. MR. KATZENBERG: Unfortu- ited excerpts of the conversa- behaving like this? And it literally took the nately, the answer is no. From FULL WSJ D.LIVE COVERAGE tion. MR. KATZENBERG: Idoalotof New York Times and the 1994 on, I had no business en- soul searching about it. I don’t bravery of these women to gagements or dealings with WSJ See videos and complete coverage of the The abuse question have a good answer. I’ve had speak out about something him whatsoever. Did I hear .COM WSJ D.Live conference at wsj.com/wsjdlive. MR. BAKER: I want to start hundreds of meetings with that has been around from the stories about Harvey abusing It’s Time to End the Culture of Stress and Burnout Arianna Huffington says that Uber could have been as successful without its ‘brilliant jerks’ ‘We are recognizing Arianna Huffington, founder of MS. HUFFINGTON: I think there including being unflappable, the Huffington Post and Thrive was a moment when I said, which I consider the greatest that what’s happening Global, spoke with Dennis K. “We need to do something trait of leadership. Berman, financial editor of about this culture.” in the culture has The Wall Street Journal, about We produced a series of MR. BERMAN: Could Uber have direct consequences a range of topics, from her ex- workshops to help everybody been what it became without, perience as an Uber board understand that even though to use a term I know you like, to the bottom line.’ member to the perils of an we claim to be in a data- a bunch of brilliant jerks? economy driven by social-me- driven culture, we are forget- MS. HUFFINGTON: Oh, yes. One dia platforms. Edited excerpts ting the data—which is that of the things I said in my first follow. when you are operating in a all-hands when I spoke to the culture of burnout and con- employees was that with Importance of culture stant stress there are going to growth forward we would end MR. BERMAN: Take us back to be consequences. Burned-out the cult of the top performer. your arrival on the Uber board people act out again and This is not just a Silicon in April 2016. What was going again. They make mistakes. Valley cult. Why did Harvey on? What did you see? Weinstein last that long? The MS. HUFFINGTON: The growth MR. BERMAN: So is there a mo- cult of somebody who delivers was the most amazing thing. ment now, where you have results. When you deliver re- Then, though, what I began to various board members in liti- sults, somehow a lot is for- see is that the growth was gation with other board mem- given. And that is particularly also achieved at the expense bers, alliances being struck, prevalent in the Valley. So I of an incredible burnout in the chaos reigning, where you say, called the top performers bril- company. Working hard is “This is crazy”? liant jerks and I said, “We’re great, but the data is very MS. HUFFINGTON: No.Wehave going to have zero tolerance right now, in the world of so- view as the moral responsibil- berg said last week, not to al- clear that working longer and a great CEO. I chaired the for them.” cial media, companies can no ity of Facebook, Google, Twit- low foreign powers to come in working smarter contradict search committee and I’m We are recognizing that longer hide behind expensive ter, YouTube, social-media and use fake names and be each other. very, very thrilled with the re- what’s happening in the cul- ads what’s happening in the platforms, to the people and able to infiltrate the platform. sults. Dara Khosrowshahi is ture has direct consequences company. the countries that they serve? She said if these were from MR. BERMAN: Was there a mo- really somebody who has the to the bottom line. A culture is MS. HUFFINGTON: I think there real accounts, as opposed to ment where you said, “This is perfect combination of talents not nice to have, it’s abso- On social media is a moral responsibility, as fake accounts, they would only crazy”? for this time in Uber’s history, lutely essential.

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