White CEO fired after calling black Uber driver the N-word

Former executive's apology rejected as insincere

Arizona fertilizer company CEO Hans Berglund has been fired amid a scandal sparked by a shocking video that showed him calling his Uber driver a “f***ing n*****”.

Mr Berglund, a 72-year-old white man, was formerly the head of organic fertilizer company Agroplasm, which said in a statement that the incident does not reflect the company’s “values and ethics”.

In the footage, which local television stations obtained, Mr Berglund is seen opening the front door of the vehicle, which was being driven by Arizona State University student Randy Clarke, 25.

Mr Clarke can he heard asking him if he minded “sitting in the back”, to which Mr Berglund said, “No, I don’t like to sit there.”

Mr Clarke, who has said he was once attacked by a different customer who sat in the front seat, responded, “I don’t like it when people sit in the front.”

The situation escalates form there, before the two agree to a refund. But, at that moment, Mr Berglund jumps into the back seat and demands he be driven to his destination.

“Is it because I’m white? And you’re a f***ing n*****? You are a f***ing idiot,” Mr Berglund shouts at him after he is asked to leave the vehicle.

The exchange has now cost Mr Berglund his job, with Agroplasma announcing that the company’s former general manager, Jeffrey Ziehmer, will replace him as CEO “until further notice”.

Mr Berglund had apologised in an online statement before his firing, which Mr Clarke called insincere.

“I deeply regret and apologise for the hurtful and derogatory language I used during the altercation with Mr Clarke. I firmly believe that there is no excuse for the use of racial slurs under any circumstance, so I will not offer any,” the statement read. “It is my sincere hope that Mr Clarke hears and accepts my apology and believes me when I say it is honest and heartfelt.”

Mr Clarke has said the incident left him in “shock”, and that he immediately filed a complaint with Uber.

In response, the ride hailing company has said in statements that “discrimination has no place on the Uber app or anywhere”.