In the latest episode of Tech Bros Behaving Badly, former Uber engineer Susan Fowler says she was propositioned by her boss and denied advancement because of her gender. Perhaps an even more egregious allegation is that the human resources department and senior managers at the company ignored her complaints.

Related: Uber pays $20M to settle claims it took drivers for a ride

Uber Technologies Inc. now joins a growing list of Silicon Valley companies that seem unable – or unwilling – to address bad behavior in the workplace, particularly if it's directed at women. This isn't an accident, experts say: It's partly a consequence of a growth-at-all-costs environment that sees human resources as a drag on the mission. Some new companies also see human resources professionals as rule-bound killjoys, anathema to the work-hard, play-hard culture of startups.