This book is the product of more than two hundred interviews across the technology industry. Some interviews were conducted in the course of my reporting for Bloomberg, but the vast majority are original interviews that were conducted for the purposes of this book. These include interviews with Sheryl Sandberg, Marissa Mayer, Susan Fowler, Niniane Wang, Ellen Pao, Katrina Lake, Reid Hoffman, Evan Williams, Dick Costolo, Max Levchin, Stewart Butterfield, John Doerr, and so many more. I also spoke on background to many sources who helped inform and shape what became Brotopia.
INTRODUCTION: NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE: TECH’S ORIGINAL SIN
Lena Söderberg started out: Lenna Sjööblom, “Swedish Accent,” Playboy, Nov. 1972, 138.
swept up in “America Fever”: Ibid., 135.
ARPA (today known as DARPA): “Information Sciences Institute,” USC Viterbi Engineer, Fall 2012, https://issuu.com/uscedu/docs/81696.
The original data set: “Volume 3: Miscellaneous,” Signal and Image Processing Institute Image Database, USC Viterbi, accessed Sept. 13, 2017, http://sipi.usc.edu/database/database.php?volume=misc.
She has served as a test subject: Corinne Iozzio, “The Playboy Centerfold That Helped Create the JPEG,” Atlantic, Feb. 9, 2016, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/02/lena-image-processing-playboy/461970.
New research featuring her picture: Ibid.
Playboy, notoriously vigilant: Team Playboy.com, “How Lenna, Miss November 1972, Became the First Lady of the Internet,” Playboy, Aug. 9, 2013, http://www.playboy.com/articles/playmate-first-lady-of-the-internet.
In a 2013 article: Ibid.
Engineers joke that if you want: Iozzio, “Playboy Centerfold That Helped Create the JPEG.”
The paper was published: Deanna Needell and Rachel Ward, “Stable Image Reconstruction Using Total Variation Minimization,” SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences 6, no. 2 (Dec. 2013): 1035–1058, https://doi.org/10.1137/120868281.
ban Lena’s image: David Munson, “A Note on Lena,” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing 5, no. 1 (Jan. 1996), https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~chuck/lennapg/editor.html.
history of electronic imaging: David Zax, “A Playboy Model and Nanoscale Printing,” MIT Technology Review, Aug. 17, 2012, https://www.technologyreview.com/s/428928/a-playboy-model-and-nanoscale-printing.
“When you use a picture”: Iozzio, “Playboy Centerfold That Helped Create the JPEG.”
women were charging into the field: Libby Nelson, “In the 1970s, Women Were Making Big Gains in Computer Science. Then They Fell Behind,” Vox, Oct. 21, 2014, https://www.vox.com/xpress/2014/10/21/7028161/computer-science-gender-women-majors.
more women than men: Nolan Feeney, “Women Are Now More Likely to Have College Degree Than Men,” Time, Oct. 7, 2015, http://time.com/4064665/women-college-degree.
Today women earn just 22 percent: “New Data: Are Women Making Gains in Computing and Engineering?,” Change the Equation, Nov. 22, 2016, http://changetheequation.org/blog/new-data-are-women-making-gains-computing-and-engineering.
women hold a mere quarter: Catherine Ashcraft, Brad McLain, and Elizabeth Eger, “Women in Tech: The Facts,” National Center for Women and Information Technology, 2016, https://www.ncwit.org/sites/default/files/resources/womenintech_facts_fullreport_05132016.pdf.
women at Google accounted: “Diversity,” Google, last modified Sept. 18, 2017, https://diversity.google.com.
women make up 35 percent: Maxine Williams, “Facebook Diversity Update: Building a More Diverse, Inclusive Workforce,” Facebook Newsroom, Aug. 2, 2017, https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2017/08/facebook-diversity-update-building-a-more-diverse-inclusive-workforce.
The statistics are downright depressing: Ashcraft, McLain, and Eger, “Women in Tech.”
women are leaving jobs: Ibid.
In the larger American workforce: Mark DeWolf, “12 Stats About Working Women,” U.S. Department of Labor Blog, March 1, 2017, https://blog.dol.gov/2017/03/01/12-stats-about-working-women.
40 percent of businesses: “The 2016 State of Women-Owned Businesses,” American Express OPEN, 2016, http://www.womenable.com/content/userfiles/2016_State_of_Women-Owned_Businesses_Executive_Report.pdf.
But women-led companies: Valentina Zarya, “Venture Capital’s Funding Gender Gap Is Actually Getting Worse,” Fortune, March 13, 2017, http://fortune.com/2017/03/13/female-founders-venture-capital.
Women accounted for only: Gené Teare and Ned Desmond, “The First Comprehensive Study on Women in Venture Capital and Their Impact on Female Founders,” TechCrunch, April 19, 2016, https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/19/the-first-comprehensive-study-on-women-in-venture-capital.
Of nearly seven thousand: Candida G. Brush et al., “Diana Report: Women Entrepreneurs 2014: Bridging the Gender Gap in Venture Capital,” Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship, Babson College, Sept. 2014, http://www.babson.edu/Academics/centers/blank-center/global-research/diana/Documents/diana-project-executive-summary-2014.pdf.
All this despite research: “Catalyst Study Reveals Financial Performance Is Higher for Companies with More Women at the Top,” Catalyst, Jan. 15, 2004, http://www.catalyst.org/media/catalyst-study-reveals-financial-performance-higher-companies-more-women-top.
Apple’s first version: Arielle Duhaime-Ross, “Apple Promised an Expansive Health App, So Why Can’t I Track Menstruation?,” Verge, Sept. 25, 2014, https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/25/6844021/apple-promised-an-expansive-health-app-so-why-cant-i-track.
As late as 2016, if you: Adam S. Miner et al., “Smartphone-Based Conversational Agents and Responses to Questions about Mental Health, Interpersonal Violence, and Physical Health,” JAMA Intern Med (2016): 619–625, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.0400. This oversight has subsequently been remedied.
online harassment and cyber hate: “Gender Distinctions in Cyber Bullying,” soc101group2, Wikispaces, Providence College, accessed Nov. 20, 2017, http://soc101group2.providence.wikispaces.net/Gender+Distinctions+in+Cyber+Bullying; Maeve Duggan, “Part 1: Experiencing Online Harassment,” Pew Research Center, Oct. 22, 2014, https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302393.
“by the pussy”: “Transcript: Donald Trump’s Taped Comments About Women,” New York Times, Oct. 8, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/08/us/donald-trump-tape-transcript.html.
“I know that so many women”: Sheryl Sandberg, “#metoo. These two simple words . . .” Facebook post, Oct. 16, 2017, https://www.facebook.com/sheryl/posts/10159365581865177.
“Travis can spend eight”: Chris Sacca, “Lowercase Capital Founder Chris Sacca: Studio 1.0,” interview by author, Bloomberg, June 12, 2015, video, 27:43, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-06-13/lowercase-capital-founder-chris-sacca-studio-1-0-06-12-.
Women account for almost half: Dan Primack, “Wall Street Outpaces Silicon Valley on Gender Equality,” Axios, Aug. 8, 2017, https://www.axios.com/wall-street-outpaces-silicon-valley-on-gender-equality-2470698125.html.
“It’s bad for shareholder value”: Megan Smith, “Former U.S. CTO on Silicon Valley’s Diversity Battle,” interview by author, Bloomberg, Aug. 7, 2017, video, 7:09, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2017-08-07/ex-u-s-cto-on-silicon-valley-s-diversity-battle-video.
“We have a long way to go: Satya Nadella, “Satya Nadella: Bloomberg Studio 1.0 (Full Show),” interview by author, Bloomberg, Sept. 29, 2017, video, 23:40, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2017-09-29/satya-nadella-bloomberg-studio-1-0-full-show-video.
CHAPTER 1: FROM NERD TO BRO: HOW TECH BYPASSED WOMEN
In his history of the internet: Walter Isaacson, The Innovators (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2014), 88.
Hopper had an uncanny ability: Ibid., 90.
She also took a collaborative approach: Ibid., 117.
many different machines could understand: Ibid., 93.
machines should be able to work well together: Ibid., 117.
women to study math: Ibid., 88.
A woman, Margaret Hamilton: Robert McMillan, “Her Code Got Humans on the Moon—and Invented Software Itself,” Wired, Oct. 13, 2015, https://www.wired.com/2015/10/margaret-hamilton-nasa-apollo.
the term “programmer”: Rose Eveleth, “Computer Programming Used to Be Women’s Work,” Smithsonian, Oct. 7, 2013, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/computer-programming-used-to-be-womens-work-718061.
“a girl ‘senior systems analyst’”: Lois Mandel, “The Computer Girls,” Cosmopolitan, April 1967.
But just as Cosmo: Ibid.
“What has sixteen legs”: “What Has Sixteen Legs, Eight Waggly Tongues and Costs You at Least $40,000 a Year?,” Optical Scanning Corporation, 1968, https://ccs.soic.indiana.edu/files/2017/01/sixteenlegs-datamation1968.jpg.
personality types that made a great programmer: Nathan Ensmenger, The Computer Boys Take Over: Computers, Programmers, and the Politics of Technical Expertise (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2010).
“For many in this period”: Nathan Ensmenger, “Letting the ‘Computer Boys’ Take Over: Technology and the Politics of Organizational Transformation,” IRSH 48 (2003): 153–80, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020859003001305.
Ensmenger estimates that by 1962: Ensmenger, Computer Boys Take Over, 64.
college fraternities and Elks lodges: Brenda D. Frink, “Researcher Reveals How ‘Computer Geeks’ Replaced ‘Computer Girls,’” Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Stanford University, June 1, 2011, http://gender.stanford.edu/news/2011/researcher-reveals-how-“computer-geeks”-replaced-“computergirls”.
new mysterious profession: Thomas J. Misa, ed., Gender Codes: Why Women Are Leaving Computing (New York: Wiley, 2010), 127–28.
profiled 1,378 programmers: William M. Cannon and Dallis K. Perry, “A Vocational Interest Scale for Computer Programmers,” SIGCPR, June 27, 1966.
186 of whom were women: Evelyn Randall Grace, “The Relationship Between Personality Traits and Vocational Interests in the Choice of Field of Study of Selected Junior College Students,” North Texas State University, Aug. 1969, https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc164347/m2/1/high_res_d/nd_00314.pdf.
therefore success in the field: Birgitta Böckeler, “Born for It,” martinfowler.com, April 20, 2016, https://martinfowler.com/articles/born-for-it.html.
“don’t like people”: Cannon and Perry, “Vocational Interest Scale for Computer Programmers.”
By one estimate, as many as two-thirds: Ensmenger, Computer Boys Take Over, 35.
such tests were used well into the 1980s: Ibid., 79.
The prevalence of antisocial personality: Analucia A. Alegria et al., “Sex Difference in Antisocial Personality Disorder: Results from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions,” Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment 4, no. 3 (2013): 214–22, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031681.
And many more boys: Alycia K. Halladay et al., “Sex and Gender Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Summarizing Evidence Gaps and Identifying Emerging Areas of Priority,” Molecular Autism 6, no. 36 (2015), https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-015-0019-y.
“often egocentric, slightly neurotic”: Nathan Ensmenger, “‘Beards, Sandals, and Other Signs of Rugged Individualism’: Masculine Culture within the Computing Professions,” Osiris 30, no. 1 (2015): 38–65, https://doi.org/10.1086/682955.
In fact, the word “women”: Cannon and Perry, “Vocational Interest Scale for Computer Programmers.”
There is little evidence: Gerald E. Evans and Mark G. Simkin, “What Best Predicts Computer Proficiency?,” Communications of the ACM (1989): 1322, https://doi.org/10.1145/68814.68817.
Nor is there evidence: Sara M. Lindberg, Janet Shibley Hyde, and Jennifer L. Petersen, “New Trends in Gender and Mathematics Performance: A Meta-analysis,” Psychological Bulletin 136, no. 6 (2010): 1123–35, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021276.
an electronic mailing list: “Systers,” Anita Borg Institute, accessed Sept. 5, 2017, https://anitaborg.org/systers.
“industry selected for antisocial”: Ensmenger, Computer Boys Take Over, 78–79.
“I was afraid to be”: Padmasree Warrior, “NextEV’s Padmasree Warrior: Studio 1.0 (Full Show 3/27),” interview by author, Bloomberg, March 27, 2016, video, 23:36, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-03-27/nextev-s-padmasree-warrior-studio-1-0-full-show.
A large study of high schoolers: Lily Shashaani, “Gender-Based Differences in Attitudes Toward Computers,” Computers & Education 20, no. 2 (1993): 169–81, https://doi.org/10.1016/0360-1315(93)90085-W.
These biases seeped into the curriculum: Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher, Unlocking the Clubhouse (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2001), 4.
Female CS students report being discouraged: Ibid., 61.
The “geek mythology”: Ibid., 68.
“These stereotypes are incongruent”: Sapna Cheryan et al., “The Stereotypical Computer Scientist: Gendered Media Representations as a Barrier to Inclusion for Women,” Sex Roles 69 (2013): 58–71, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-013-0296-x.
Cheryan referenced a quotation: Sapna Cheryan, Allison Master, and Andrew N. Meltzoff, “Cultural Stereotypes as Gatekeepers: Increasing Girls’ Interest in Computer Science and Engineering by Diversifying Stereotypes,” Frontiers in Psychology 6, no. 49 (2015), https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00049.
“I don’t dream in code”: Jane Margolis, Allan Fisher, and Faye Miller, “The Anatomy of Interest: Women in Undergraduate Computer Science,” Women’s Studies Quarterly 28, no. 1–2 (2000): 104–27, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40004448.
Demand became so great: Eric Roberts, “A History of Capacity Challenges in Computer Science,” Stanford University, March 7, 2016, http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/CSCapacity.
electrical engineering and computer science: Ibid.
In 1977, the MCAT: William C. McGaghie, “Assessing Readiness for Medical Education: Evolution of the Medical College Admission Test,” JAMA 288, no. 9 (2002): 1085–90, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/195259.
“In the 1970s, students”: Roberts, “History of Capacity Challenges in Computer Science.”
He majored in economics: Govind Dandekar, “Trilogy CEO, Stanford Alum Retraces Path to Success,” Stanford Daily, May 28, 1998, https://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin/stanford?a=d&d=stanford19980528-01.2.26.
“We will, but the price”: Sarah E. Henrickson, “Founder of Trilogy Speaks About His Career,” Harvard Crimson, Oct. 31, 1997, http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1997/10/31/founder-of-trilogy-speaks-about-his.
IBM, Alcatel, and Boeing: Ernst & Young, Net Entrepreneurs Only (New York: Wiley, 2000), 50.
“The first thing”: Susan Lahey, “Trilogy and the Extraordinary Power of a Great Network,” Silicon Hills News, March 15, 2015, http://www.siliconhillsnews.com/2015/03/15/trilogy-and-the-extraordinary-power-of-a-great-network.
New hires immediately spent: Ibid.
“push new recruits”: Noel Tichy, “No Ordinary Boot Camp,” Harvard Business Review, April 2001, https://hbr.org/2001/04/no-ordinary-boot-camp.
“money, recruiters, beer”: Lahey, “Trilogy and the Extraordinary Power of a Great Network.”
In a paper that consolidated: Emily Grijalva et al., “Narcissism and Leadership: A Meta-analytic Review of Linear and Nonlinear Relationships,” Personnel Psychology 68, no. 1 (Spring 2015): 1–47, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/peps.12072.
“Brainteasers are a complete waste”: Adam Bryant, “In Head-Hunting, Big Data May Not Be Such a Big Deal,” New York Times, June 19, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/business/in-head-hunting-big-data-may-not-be-such-a-big-deal.html.
Despite their concrete achievements: Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes, “The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention,” Psychotherapy Theory, Research, and Practice 15, no. 3 (Fall 1978): 241–47, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0086006.
Other researchers have found: Tara Sophia Mohr, “Why Women Don’t Apply for Jobs Unless They’re 100% Qualified,” Harvard Business Review, Aug. 25, 2014, https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualified.
When the first tech bubble burst: Marie Thibault, “The Next Bill Gates,” Forbes, Jan. 19, 2010, https://www.forbes.com/2010/01/19/young-tech-billionaire-gates-google-yahoo-wealth.html#6257bb713333.
Given that entitlement: Emily Grijalva et al., “Gender Differences in Narcissism: A Meta-analytic Review,” Psychological Bulletin 141, no. 2 (March 2015): 261–310, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038231.
prominent role in high finance: Meredith Lepore, “Analysts Say Having More Female Bankers Could Have Prevented the Financial Crisis,” Grindstone, Jan. 26, 2012, http://www.thegrindstone.com/2012/01/26/office-politics/analysts-say-having-more-female-bankers-could-have-prevented-the-financial-crisis-181.
“Risk-taking is desirable”: “Women More Than Twice as Likely to Be Cautious About Risk Than Men,” Psychological Consultancy Ltd., March 16, 2016, http://www.psychological-consultancy.com/blog/women-twice-likely-cautious-risk-men.
An extensive study: Jenny Anderson, “Huge Study Finds That Companies with More Women Leaders Are More Profitable,” Quartz, Feb. 8, 2016, https://qz.com/612086/huge-study-find-that-companies-with-more-women-leaders-are-more-profitable.
According to data compiled: “Table 349: Degrees in Computer and Information Sciences Conferred by Degree-Granting Institutions, by Level of Degree and Sex of Student: 1970–71 Through 2010–11,” National Center for Education Statistics, July 2012, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_349.asp.
Today, it’s estimated: Jon Swartz, “Businesses Say They Just Can’t Find the Right Tech Workers,” USA Today, March 28, 2017, https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2017/03/28/tech-skills-gap-huge-graduates-survey-says/99587888.
CHAPTER 2: THE PAYPAL MAFIA AND THE MYTH OF THE MERITOCRACY
“a lucid and profound articulation”: Derek Thompson, “Peter Thiel’s Zero to One Might Be the Best Business Book I’ve Read,” Atlantic, Sept. 25, 2014, https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/09/peter-thiel-zero-to-one-review/380738.
“We all have a responsibility”: Peter Thiel, “Peter Thiel: Bloomberg West (Full Show 4/12),” interview by author, Bloomberg, April 12, 2016, video, 56:52, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-04-13/peter-thiel-bloomberg-west-full-show-4-12.
Zero to One: Peter Thiel, Zero to One (New York: Crown Business, 2014).
Thiel himself told me: Peter Thiel, “Venture Capitalist Peter Thiel: Studio 1.0 (12/18) Bloomberg, Dec. 18, 2014, video, 27:34, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2014-12-19/venture-capitalist-peter-thiel-studio-10-1218.
Stanford began by instituting: News release, Stanford News Service, April 22, 1991, https://web.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/91/910422Arc1416.html.
lawsuit against Harvard: Anemona Hartocollis and Stephanie Saul, “Affirmative Action Battle Has a New Focus: Asian-Americans,” New York Times, Aug. 2, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/us/affirmative-action-battle-has-a-new-focus-asian-americans.html?_r=0.
The Stanford Review also targeted feminism: Lisa Koven and David Sacks, “Rape at Stanford,” Stanford Review, Jan. 21, 1992.
The word “RAPE”: Ibid., 1.
“If you’re male and heterosexual at Stanford”: Ibid., 4.
“Faggot! Hope you die”: “Officials Condemn Homophobic Incident; No Prosecution Planned,” Stanford News Service, Feb. 12, 1992, https://news.stanford.edu/pr/92/920212Arc2432.html.
who had reportedly kicked a student out: David Dirks, “Freshman Loses Housing for Insensitive Conduct,” Stanford Daily, May 23, 1988, https://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin/stanford?a=d&d=stanford19880523-01.2.4#.
“The intention was for the speech”: Ibid.
“caused Stanford to resemble”: David O. Sacks and Peter Thiel, The Diversity Myth (Oakland, CA: Independent Institute, 1998): 29.
And in 2011, Thiel told: George Packer, “No Death, No Taxes,” New Yorker, Nov. 28, 2011, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/11/28/no-death-no-taxes.
“seductions that are later regretted”: Sacks and Thiel, Diversity Myth, 144.
“More than two decades ago”: Ryan Mac and Matt Drange, “Donald Trump Supporter Peter Thiel Apologizes for Past Book Comments on Rape,” Forbes, Oct. 25, 2016, https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/10/25/peter-thiel-apologizes-for-past-book-comments-on-rape-and-race/#7c635d0e4e48.
In late 2017, however: Andrew Granato, “How Peter Thiel Built a Silicon Valley Empire,” Stanford Politics, Nov. 27, 2017, https://stanfordpolitics.org/2017/11/27/peter-thiel-cover-story.
“This is college journalism written over 20 years ago”: Kara Swisher, “Zenefits CEO David Sacks Apologizes for Parts of a 1996 Book He Co-wrote with Peter Thiel That Called Date Rape ‘Belated Regret,’” Recode, Oct. 24, 2016, https://www.recode.net/2016/10/24/13395798/zenefits-ceo-david-sacks-apologizes-1996-book-co-wrote-peter-thiel-date-rape-belated-regret.
“I do believe in diversity”: David Sacks, “Zenefits CEO on Closing the Chapter on Compliance Issues,” interview by author, Bloomberg, Oct. 18, 2016, video, 12:23, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-10-18/zenefits-ceo-on-closing-the-chapter-on-compliance-issues.
“sleep and get some air-conditioning”: Max Levchin, “PayPal Co-Founder Max Levchin: Studio 1.0 (02/05),” interview by author, Bloomberg, Feb. 6, 2015, video, 27:34, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-02-06/paypal-co-founder-max-levchin-studio-1-0-02-05-.
“they must work quickly”: Thiel, Zero to One, 122–23.
Except for the office manager, who was female: Jodi Kantor, “A Brand New World in Which Men Ruled,” New York Times, Dec. 23, 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/12/23/us/gender-gaps-stanford-94.html.
“I think there is this way”: Thiel, interview by author, Bloomberg, Dec. 18, 2014.
“of the six people”: Thiel, Zero to One, 173.
“I ended up recruiting”: Ibid.
“sex in the stairwells”: Rolfe Winkler, “Zenefits Once Told Employees: No Sex in Stairwells,” Wall Street Journal, Feb. 22, 2016, https://www.wsj.com/articles/zenefits-once-told-employees-no-sex-in-stairwells-1456183097.
Mafia’s “dynastic privilege”: Adam Pisoni, “In Defense of Diverse Founding Teams,” Medium, Jan. 12, 2017, https://medium.com/@adampisoni/in-defense-of-diverse-founding-teams-e9f0b5b81f25.
He left Square in the midst: Evelyn M. Rusli, “Square Executive Resigns Amid Sexual-Harassment Claims,” Wall Street Journal, Jan. 25, 2013, https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324539304578264153187663828.
“If meritocracy exists”: Kantor, “A Brand New World in Which Men Ruled.”
“would have died”: Roger Parloff, “Peter Thiel Disagrees with You,” Fortune, Sept. 4, 2014, http://fortune.com/2014/09/04/peter-thiels-contrarian-strategy.
“It is good sense”: Michael Young, “Down with Meritocracy,” Guardian, June 28, 2001, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/jun/29/comment.
But is it just a coincidence: “Economic Diversity and Student Outcomes at Stanford University,” New York Times, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/college-mobility/stanford-university?mcubz=3.
while the national median: “Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2016,” U.S. Census Bureau, Sept. 12, 2017, https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2017/income-poverty.html.
Research shows when companies: Emilio J. Castilla and Stephen Benard, “The Paradox of Meritocracy in Organizations,” Administrative Science Quarterly, Dec. 1, 2010, http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/65884.
When you are convinced: Leah Eichler, “The Problem with Working for a Supposed Meritocracy,” Globe and Mail, March 4, 2016, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/life-at-work/the-problem-with-working-for-a-supposed-meritocracy/article29033411.
“‘Meritocracy’ takes as its core”: Megan Garber, “The Perils of Meritocracy,” Atlantic, June 30, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/06/the-perils-of-meritocracy/532215.
“I no longer believe”: Peter Thiel, “The Education of a Libertarian,” Cato Unbound, April 13, 2009, https://www.cato-unbound.org/2009/04/13/peter-thiel/education-libertarian.
revealed that he was gay: Owen Thomas, “Peter Thiel Is Totally Gay, People,” Gawker, Dec. 19, 2007, http://gawker.com/335894/peter-thiel-is-totally-gay-people.
“When I was a kid”: Will Drabold, “Read Peter Thiel’s Speech at the Republican National Convention,” Time, July 21, 2016, http://time.com/4417679/republican-convention-peter-thiel-transcript.
“We care deeply about diversity”: Jeff John Roberts, “Mark Zuckerberg Says Trump Supporter Peter Thiel Still Has a Place on Facebook’s Board,” Fortune, Oct. 19, 2016, http://fortune.com/2016/10/19/zuckerberg-thiel.
“I think you need”: Melanie Ehrenkranz, “Mark Zuckerberg’s Defense of Peter Thiel Reveals a Flawed Understanding of Diversity,” Mic, March 14, 2017, http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerbergs-defense-of-peter-thiel-reveals-a-flawed-understanding-of-diversity-2017-3.
“whole, you know, age of computer”: Jeremy Diamond, “Trump, the Computer and Email Skeptic-in-Chief,” CNN, Dec. 30, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/29/politics/donald-trump-computers-internet-email/index.html.
CHAPTER 3: GOOGLE: WHEN GOOD INTENTIONS AREN’T ENOUGH
“I wish I could say”: Susan Wojcicki, “Studio 1.0: Susan Wojcicki Opens Up About Being a Working Mother in the Tech Industry,” interview by author, Bloomberg, Nov. 14, 2016, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-14/studio-1-0-susan-wojcicki-opens-up-about-being-a-working-mother-in-the-tech-industry.
And it’s worth examining: Erik Larson, “Google Sued for Allegedly Paying Women Less Than Male Peers,” Bloomberg, Sept. 14, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-14/google-sued-by-women-workers-claiming-gender-discrimination.
Google had no marketing budget: Adam Levy, “Susan Wojcicki: From Google Doodles to YouTube CEO,” Motley Fool, July 5, 2015, https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/07/05/susan-wojcicki-from-google-doodles-to-youtube-ceo.aspx.
“You do the content”: Steven Levy, In the Plex (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011), 84.
In this particular column: Rachel Hutton, “Meeting Our Campus Celebrities,” Stanford Daily, Nov. 9, 1998, https://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin/stanford?a=d&d=stanford19981109-01.1.4&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------.
“outstandingly attractive woman”: Hutton, “Meeting Our Campus Celebrities.”
Research backs this up: “Stereotype Threat Widens Achievement Gap,” American Psychological Association, July 15, 2006, http://www.apa.org/research/action/stereotype.aspx.
One of her first jobs: Laura M. Holson, “Putting a Bolder Face on Google,” New York Times, Feb. 28, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/business/01marissa.html.
By 2004, the year after AdSense: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Google Inc. Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended Dec. 31, 2014, Feb. 6, 2015, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1288776/000128877615000008/goog2014123110-k.htm.
Sandberg’s first assignment: Kashmir Hill, “Sheryl Sandberg to Harvard Biz Grads: ‘Find a Rocket Ship,’” Forbes, May 24, 2012, https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/05/24/sheryl-sandberg-to-harvard-biz-grads-find-a-rocket-ship.
She went on to create: “Facebook Names Sheryl Sandberg Chief Operating Officer,” Facebook Newsroom, March 4, 2008, https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2008/03/facebook-names-sheryl-sandberg-chief-operating-officer.
“I think the thing”: Wojcicki, interview by author, Bloomberg, Nov. 14, 2016.
“something out of a rebooted soap opera”: Reed Albergotti, “Google Reckoning with History of Interoffice Romance by Top Execs,” The Information, Nov. 29, 2017, https://www.theinformation.com/google-reckoning-with-history-of-interoffice-romance-by-top-execs.
In the long, hot summer: Caroline Graham, “The £5.4 Billion Google Love Rat: How Boss, 58, of Internet Giant Resisting Online Porn Crackdown Has a String of Exotic Lovers in His ‘Open Marriage’ . . . but DOESN’T Want You to Know About It,” Daily Mail, July 20, 2013, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2371719/Googles-Eric-Schmidts-open-marriage-string-exotic-lovers.html.
Schmidt’s New York apartment: Sam Biddle, “Google Boss Enjoys $15 Mil Manhattan Sex Penthouse,” Valleywag, July 25, 2013, http://valleywag.gawker.com/google-boss-enjoys-15-mil-manhattan-sex-penthouse-909299764.
“the most daring CEO”: Ryan Chittum, “Fast Company’s Daring 23andMe Cover,” Columbia Journalism Review, Nov. 23, 2013, http://archives.cjr.org/the_audit/fast_companys_daring_23andme_c.php.
Longtime chief legal counsel: Albergotti, “Google Reckoning with History of Interoffice Romance by Top Execs.”
Executives, she tweeted: Shawn Paul Wood, “Google Engineer Accused of Sexual Harassment Allegedly Does Nothing,” Adweek, March 9, 2015, http://www.adweek.com/digital/google-engineer-accused-of-sexual-harassment-allegedly-does-nothing.
Andy Rubin, the mastermind: Reed Albergotti, “Android’s Andy Rubin Left Google After Inquiry Found Inappropriate Relationship,” The Information, Nov. 28, 2017, https://www.theinformation.com/androids-andy-rubin-left-google-after-inquiry-found-inappropriate-relationship.
In 2016, longtime Google executive: Barry Schwartz, “Amit Singhal, The Head of Google Search, to Leave the Company for Philanthropic Purposes,” Search Engine Land, Feb. 3, 2016, https://searchengineland.com/amit-singhal-the-head-of-google-search-to-leave-the-company-for-philanthropic-purposes-241707.
Google reported numbers: “Google Diversity,” Google, 2017.
“The department has received”: Sam Levin, “Google Accused of ‘Extreme’ Gender Pay Discrimination by US Labor Department,” Guardian, April 7, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/apr/07/google-pay-disparities-women-labor-department-lawsuit.
The following September: Larson, “Google Sued for Allegedly Paying Women Less Than Male Peers.”
“Job levels and promotions”: Ibid.
In it, Damore argued: Mike Cernovich, “Full James Damore Memo—Uncensored Memo with Charts and Cites,” Medium, Aug. 8, 2017, https://medium.com/@Cernovich/full-james-damore-memo-uncensored-memo-with-charts-and-cites-339f3d2d05f.
though Damore’s citations, some from Wikipedia: Megan Molteni and Adam Rogers, “The Actual Science of James Damore’s Google Memo,” Wired, Aug. 15, 2017, https://www.wired.com/story/the-pernicious-science-of-james-damores-google-memo.
Another site that came: Toni Airaksinen, “Libertarian Site Suffers DDoS Attack After Supporting Google Worker,” PJ Media, Aug. 9, 2017, https://pjmedia.com/trending/2017/08/09/libertarian-site-suffers-ddos-attack-after-supporting-google-worker.
The mainstream media quickly picked up: Jack Nicas and Yoree Koh, “At Google, Memo on Gender and Diversity Sparks Firestorm,” Wall Street Journal, Aug. 9, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles/memo-sparks-firestorm-at-google-1502246996.
Pichai issued a harshly worded rebuke: Sundar Pichai, “Note to Employees from CEO Sundar Pichai,” Google, Aug. 8, 2017, https://www.blog.google/topics/diversity/note-employees-ceo-sundar-pichai.
calling for Pichai’s resignation: David Brooks, “Sundar Pichai Should Resign as Google’s C.E.O.,” New York Times, Aug. 11, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/11/opinion/sundar-pichai-google-memo-diversity.html.
“It’s really a shame”: James Damore, “Fired Google Engineer Says Company Executives Smeared Him,” interview by author, Bloomberg, Aug. 9, 2017, video, 3:51, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2017-08-10/fired-google-engineer-says-company-smeared-him-video.
there is a vast body of research: Brian A. Nosek et al., “National Differences in Gender-Science Stereotypes Predict National Sex Differences in Science and Math Achievement,” PNAS 106, no. 26 (2009): 10593–97, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0809921106.
One of the most insightful: Yonatan Zunger, “So, About This Googler’s Manifesto,” Medium, Aug. 5, 2017, https://medium.com/@yonatanzunger/so-about-this-googlers-manifesto-1e3773ed1788.
“What is news is that this employee”: Erica Joy Baker, “I Am Disappointed but Unsurprised . . .” Medium, Aug. 5, 2017, https://medium.com/projectinclude/i-am-disappointed-but-unsurprised-by-the-news-that-an-anti-diversity-sexist-racist-manifesto-is-5fdafbe19352.
“almost class action”: Megan Smith, “Former U.S. CTO on Silicon Valley’s Diversity Battle,” interview by author, Bloomberg, Aug. 7, 2017, video, 7:09, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2017-08-07/ex-u-s-cto-on-silicon-valley-s-diversity-battle-video.
“We know when we work with dudes”: Cate Huston, “We Know Who He Is,” Medium, Aug. 6, 2017, https://medium.com/@catehstn/we-know-who-he-is-596fdd93d7c2.
“I’ve had my abilities”: Susan Wojcicki, “Read YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki’s Response to the Controversial Google Anti-diversity Memo,” Fortune, Aug. 9, 2017, http://fortune.com/2017/08/09/google-diversity-memo-wojcicki.
Forbes recently ranked her: “The World’s Most Powerful Women In 2016,” Forbes, Jun. 6, 2016, https://www.forbes.com/sites/alixmcnamara/2016/06/06/the-worlds-most-powerful-women-in-2016/#54f8fb971c83.
“the cold weather”: Susan Wojcicki (@SusanWojcicki), “Super cold weather @Davos2016 is it’s easy to store breast milk. No freezer required. #moms.” Twitter post, Jan. 22, 2016, https://twitter.com/susanwojcicki/status/690467560396029952.
“When I’m in the office”: Susan Wojcicki, interview by author, Bloomberg, Nov. 14, 2016, video, 23:36, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-11-14/susan-wojcicki-bloomberg-studio-1-0-11-13.
she flourished at Google: Claire Cain Miller, “In Google’s Inner Circle, a Falling Number of Women,” New York Times, Aug. 22, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/technology/in-googles-inner-circle-a-falling-number-of-women.html.
“New Yahoo CEO Marissa”: Jenna Goudreau, “New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Is Pregnant. Does It Matter?,” Forbes, July 17, 2012, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/07/17/new-yahoo-ceo-marissa-mayer-is-pregnant-does-it-matter/#7fd59ae9fa00.
“The Pregnant CEO”: LearnVest, “The Pregnant CEO: Should You Hate Marissa Mayer?,” Forbes, July 19, 2012, https://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2012/07/19/the-pregnant-ceo-should-you-hate-marissa-mayer/#5df5db293d14.
“Marissa Mayer’s Brief Maternity Leave”: Katherine Reynolds Lewis, “Marissa Mayer’s Brief Maternity Leave: Progress or Workaholism?,” Fortune, Oct. 2, 2012, http://fortune.com/2012/10/02/marissa-mayers-brief-maternity-leave-progress-or-workaholism.
One blogger quipped: Penelope Trunk, “Marissa Mayer Becomes CEO of Yahoo and Proves Women Cannot Have It All,” blog.penelopetrunk.com, July 17, 2012, http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2012/07/17/marissa-mayer-becomes-ceo-of-yahoo-and-proves-women-cannot-have-it-all.
By that point, Mayer had been leading: Marissa Mayer, “Marissa’s Tumblr,” https://marissamayr.tumblr.com.
on the wrong side of history: Richard Branson and Sheryl Sandberg, “Sheryl Sandberg and Richard Branson: Balancing Act (04/24),” interview by author, Bloomberg, April 23, 2015, video, 20:53, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-04-25/sheryl-sandberg-richard-branson-balancing-act-04-24-.
Under her direction, Facebook’s revenues: Matt Rosoff, “Look at How Much Sheryl Sandberg Has Done for Facebook,” Business Insider, Mar. 23, 2016, http://www.businessinsider.com/sheryl-sandberg-8-years-at-facebook-2016-3.
not to “lean back”: Sheryl Sandberg, “Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders,” TED talk, Dec. 21, 2010, video, 14:58, https://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.
“Although couched in terms”: Anne-Marie Slaughter, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” Atlantic, July/Aug. 2012, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-cant-have-it-all/309020.
“Why I hate Sheryl”: Rosa Brooks, “Recline, Don’t ‘Lean In’ (Why I Hate Sheryl Sandberg),” Washington Post, Feb. 25, 2014, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/02/25/recline-dont-lean-in-why-i-hate-sheryl-sandberg/?utm_term=.d6cbcc2012c1.
“The False Promise”: Bryce Covert, “Lean In, Trickle Down: The False Promise of Sheryl Sandberg’s Theory of Change,” Forbes, Feb. 25, 2013, https://www.forbes.com/sites/brycecovert/2013/02/25/lean-in-trickle-down-the-false-promise-of-sheryl-sandbergs-theory-of-change/#469c7d5c4256.
“Why I Won’t Lean In”: Vanessa Garcia, “Why I Won’t Lean In,” Huffington Post, July 19, 2013, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/vanessa-garcia/why-i-wont-lean-in_b_3586527.html.
“Mayer and Sandberg”: Joanne Bamberger, “The New Mommy Wars,” USA Today, Feb. 5, 2013, https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/02/25/the-new-mommy-wars-column/1947589.
“blaming other women”: Maureen Dowd, “Pompom Girl for Feminism,” New York Times, Feb. 23, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/opinion/sunday/dowd-pompom-girl-for-feminism.html.
The Lean In backlash: Anna Holmes, “Maybe You Should Read the Book: The Sheryl Sandberg Backlash,” New Yorker, March 4, 2013, https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/maybe-you-should-read-the-book-the-sheryl-sandberg-backlash.
CHAPTER 4: DINNER WITH WOMEN ENGINEERS
Fowler joined Uber: Susan J. Fowler, “Reflecting on One Very, Very Strange Year at Uber,” www.susanjfowler.com, Feb. 19, 2017, https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/2/19/reflecting-on-one-very-strange-year-at-uber.
Fowler did not have the typical: Susan J. Fowler, “Twenty Books That Shaped My Unconventional Life,” www.susanjfowler.com, Aug. 17, 2016, https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2016/8/15/20-unconventional-books-that-changed-my-life.
“He was trying to stay”: Fowler, “Reflecting on One Very, Very Strange Year at Uber.”
claimed that a “smear campaign”: Susan Fowler, “Research for the smear campaign has begun. If you are contacted by anyone asking for personal and intimate info about me, please report asap,” Twitter post, Feb. 24, 2017, https://twitter.com/susanthesquark/status/835193441814392833.
Uber denied being behind: Sarah Buhr, “Uber Says It’s ‘Absolutely Not’ Behind a Smear Campaign Against Ex-employee Susan Fowler Rigetti,” TechCrunch, Feb. 24, 2017, https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/24/uber-says-its-absolutely-not-behind-a-smear-campaign-against-ex-employee-susan-fowler-rigetti.
“Yeah, we call that Boob-er”: Mickey Rapkin, “Uber Cab Confessions,” GQ, Feb. 27, 2014, https://www.gq.com/story/uber-cab-confessions.
video of Kalanick: Eric Newcomer, “In Video, Uber CEO Argues with Driver over Falling Fares,” Bloomberg, Feb. 28, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-28/in-video-uber-ceo-argues-with-driver-over-falling-fares.
Uber’s new head of engineering: Kara Swisher, “Uber’s SVP of Engineering Is Out After He Did Not Disclose He Left Google in a Dispute over a Sexual Harassment Allegation,” Recode, Feb. 27, 2017, https://www.recode.net/2017/2/27/14745360/amit-singhal-google-uber.
A story broke: Amir Efrati, “Uber Group’s Visit to Seoul Escort Bar Sparked HR Complaint,” The Information, March 24, 2017, https://www.theinformation.com/uber-groups-visit-to-seoul-escort-bar-sparked-hr-complaint.
“Why Is Silicon Valley So Awful to Women?”: Liza Mundy, “Why Is Silicon Valley So Awful to Women?,” Atlantic, April 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/04/why-is-silicon-valley-so-awful-to-women/517788.
she attended the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women: Sheryl Sandberg et al., “GHC 2013 Keynote Sheryl Sandberg, Maria Klawe, Telle Whitney,” Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, Nov. 9, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=362AygQGMGk.
Chou wrote a Medium essay: Tracy Chou, “Where Are the Numbers?,” Medium, Oct. 11, 2013, https://medium.com/@triketora/where-are-the-numbers-cb997a57252.
The “Elephant in the Valley” study: Trae Vassallo et al., “The Elephant in the Valley,” www.elephantinthevalley.com, 2017, https://www.elephantinthevalley.com.
“If I was 20 years younger”: Ibid.
According to the stories: Ibid.
Lydia Fernandez has seen the tech industry: Fernandez, interview by Helena Price, www.techiesproject.com, Feb. 11, 2016, http://www.techiesproject.com/lydia-fernandez.
software community GitHub: Josh Terrell et al., “Gender Differences and Bias in Open Source: Pull Request Acceptance of Women Versus Men,” Peer J, July 26, 2016, https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj-cs.111.
One former engineer at Facebook: Deepa Seetharaman, “Facebook’s Female Engineers Claim Gender Bias,” Wall Street Journal, May 2, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebooks-female-engineers-claim-gender-bias-1493737116.
That reminded her of: Cedric L. Alexander, “Three Days in July: Where Do We Go from Here?,” CNN, July 11, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/11/opinions/three-days-in-july-cedric-alexander/index.html.
“It’s not as ‘good’ as being”: Tracy Chou, “The Uncomfortable State of Being Asian in Tech,” Medium, Oct. 19, 2015, https://medium.com/little-thoughts/the-uncomfortable-state-of-being-asian-in-tech-ab7db446c55b.
“abhorrent and against everything”: Eric Newcomer, “Uber Investigating Sexual Discrimination Claims by Ex-engineer,” Bloomberg, Feb. 20, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-20/uber-investigating-sexual-discrimination-claims-by-ex-engineer.
video was leaked: Newcomer, “In Video, Uber CEO Argues with Driver over Falling Fares.”
the company would stop hiring “brilliant jerks”: Mike Isaac, “Inside Uber’s Aggressive, Unrestrained Workplace Culture,” New York Times, Feb. 22, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/technology/uber-workplace-culture.html.
“What has driven Uber”: Mike Isaac, “Uber Releases Diversity Report and Repudiates Its ‘Hard-Charging Attitude,’” New York Times, March 28, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/28/technology/uber-scandal-diversity-report.html.
“You better read this”: Kara Swisher and Johana Bhuiyan, “Uber CEO Kalanick Advised Employees on Sex Rules for a Company Celebration in 2013 ‘Miami Letter,’” Recode, June 8, 2017, https://www.recode.net/2017/6/8/15765514/2013-miami-letter-uber-ceo-kalanick-employees-sex-rules-company-celebration.
sexually assaulting his passenger: Eric Newcomer, “Uber Workplace Probe Extends to Handling of India Rape Case,” Bloomberg, June 7, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-07/uber-workplace-probe-extends-to-handling-of-india-rape-case.
An Uber employee who oversaw operations: Kara Swisher and Johana Bhuiyan, “How Being ‘Coin-Operated’ at Uber Led to a Top Exec Obtaining the Medical Records of a Rape Victim in India,” Recode, June 11, 2017., https://www.recode.net/2017/6/11/15758818/uber-travis-kalanick-eric-alexander-india-rape-medical-records.
Uber finally revealed the results: Mike Isaac, “Uber Fires 20 Amid Investigation into Workplace Culture,” New York Times, June 6, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/technology/uber-fired.html.
Uber’s board adopted: “Uber Report: Eric Holder’s Recommendations for Change,” New York Times, June 13, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/technology/uber-report-eric-holders-recommendations-for-change.html.
his own “selfish ends”: Mike Isaac, “Uber Investor Sues Travis Kalanick for Fraud,” New York Times, Aug. 10, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/10/technology/travis-kalanick-uber-lawsuit-benchmark-capital.html.
A Kalanick spokesperson: Ibid.
sued Uber (while she was still employed): Heather Somerville, “Three Women Sue Uber in San Francisco Claiming Unequal Pay, Benefits,” Reuters, Oct. 25, 2017, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber-lawsuit/three-women-sue-uber-in-san-francisco-claiming-unequal-pay-benefits-idUSKBN1CU2Z1.
CHAPTER 5: SUPERHEROES AND SUPERJERKS: THE ROLE OF THE VENTURE CAPITALISTS
Moritz stepped back: D. D. Gutenplan, “Behind Oxford Donation, a Personal Story,” New York Times, July 15, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/16/world/europe/16iht-educside16.html.
“We think about it a lot”: Michael Moritz, “Sir Michael Moritz: Studio 1.0 (Full Show 12/02),” interview by author, Bloomberg, Dec. 2, 2015, video, 30:08, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-12-03/sir-michael-moritz-studio-1-0-full-show-12-02-.
“Here’s some news”: Emily Jane Fox, “Silicon Valley V.C. Firm Can’t Find Any Women,” Vanity Fair, Dec. 3, 2015, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/12/michael-moritz-sequoia-women-partners-tech.
“I’m a history major”: Moritz, interview by author, Bloomberg, Dec. 2, 2015.
On the heels of my interview: “The Midas List,” Forbes, 2015, https://www.forbes.com/data/midas-interactive-2015.
61 percent of the top: Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, “Do You Need a STEM Degree to Be a Successful VC? The Answer Is No,” Medium, Dec. 4, 2015, https://medium.com/@sukhindersinghcassidy/do-you-need-a-stem-degree-to-be-a-successful-vc-the-answer-is-no-fe974145e6a8.
“We need to do better”: Sequoia Capital, “We need to do better,” Twitter post, Dec. 3, 2015, https://twitter.com/sequoia/status/672502717131034624.
“We’re not going to run”: Michael Moritz speaks at the Exploratorium, March 16, 2016.
“It makes zero sense”: Michael Moritz, “The Next Billion-Dollar Idea,” Interview by Andrew Ross Sorkin, Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, Oct. 14, 2016, video, 30:08, https://video.vanityfair.com/watch/the-new-establishment-summit-the-next-billion-dollar-idea.
“Diversity fuels innovation”: Beth Comstock, “How Diversity Fuels Innovation,” interview by Andrew Ross Sorkin, Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, Oct. 14, 2016, video, 1:17, https://video.vanityfair.com/watch/the-new-establishment-summit-how-diversity-fuels-innovation.
kept her as a sex slave: Connie Loizos, “Longtime VC Michael Goguen Was Just Hit with an Explosive Lawsuit,” TechCrunch, March 11, 2016, https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/11/longtime-vc-michael-goguen-was-just-hit-with-an-explosive-lawsuit/.
Although Goguen denied: Connie Loizos, “Michael Goguen’s Counter-complaint Calls Accuser an ‘Exotic Dancer’ Who Was ‘Looking for a Payday,’” TechCrunch, March 14, 2016, https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/14/michael-goguens-counter-complaint-calls-accuser-an-exotic-dancer-who-was-looking-for-a-payday.
By 1999, women accounted: Brush et al., “Diana Report: Women’s Entrepreneurs 2014: Bridging the Gender Gap in Venture Capital,” dianaproject.org, http://www.babson.edu/Academics/centers/blank-center/global-research/diana/Documents/diana-project-executive-summary-2014.pdf
“Please, please, really take”: Ellen Pao v. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, 1 (Cal. 2012), http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/358553/pao-complaint.pdf.
Pao had a romantic: Heather Somerville, “Timeline: Ellen Pao’s Career, Key Moments at Kleiner Perkins,” Mercury News, March 27, 2015, http://www.mercurynews.com/2015/03/27/timeline-ellen-paos-career-key-moments-at-kleiner-perkins.
Pao’s case piled up: Ellen Pao v. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
her memoir, Reset: Ellen Pao, Reset (New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2017).
“white girls—Eastern European”: Ibid.
“kill the buzz”: Ellen Pao v. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Chien denied saying this: Nellie Bowles and Liz Gannes, “All-Male Ski Trip and No Women at Al Gore Dinner: Kleiner’s Chien Takes the Stand in Pao Lawsuit,” Recode, Feb. 25, 2015, https://www.recode.net/2015/2/25/11559418/all-male-ski-trip-and-no-women-at-al-gore-dinner-kleiners-chien-takes.
Chien also testified: Beth Winegarner, “Kleiner Partner Held All-Male Al Gore Dinner, Jury Told,” Law360, Feb. 25, 2015, https://www.law360.com/articles/625265/kleiner-partner-held-all-male-al-gore-dinner-jury-told.
“The two people who”: Sam Colt, “Ellen Pao Complained She Had Gotten a ‘Demotion’ When Kleiner Perkins Downsized in 2012,” Business Insider, March 3, 2015, http://www.businessinsider.com/ellen-pao-trial-demotion-2015-3.
Pao’s story appeared: David Streitfeld, “Ellen Pao Suit Against Kleiner Perkins Heads to Trial, with Big Potential Implications,” New York Times, Feb. 22, 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/23/technology/ellen-pao-suit-against-kleiner-perkins-heads-to-trial-with-big-potential-implications.html.
tech blogs had a field day: David Streitfeld, “Ellen Pao Loses Silicon Valley Bias Case Against Kleiner Perkins,” New York Times, March 27, 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/technology/ellen-pao-kleiner-perkins-case-decision.html.
only 5 out of 78: Rolfe Winkler, “Secretive, Sprawling Network of ‘Scouts’ Spreads Money Through Silicon Valley,” Wall Street Journal, Nov. 12, 2015, https://www.wsj.com/articles/secretive-sprawling-network-of-scouts-spreads-money-through-silicon-valley-1447381377.
In fact, men run 92 percent: Jonathan Sherry, “A Data-Driven Look at Diversity in Venture Capital and Startups,” CB Insights, June 15, 2015, https://www.cbinsights.com/research/team-blog/venture-capital-diversity-data.
What may be more surprising: Sarah McBride, “At Top VC Firms, More Women Partners Doesn’t Mean More Women Funded,” Bloomberg, May 31, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-31/at-top-vc-firms-more-women-partners-doesn-t-mean-more-women-funded.
a little over $58 billion: Valentina Zarya, “Venture Capital’s Funding Gender Gap Is Actually Getting Worse,” Fortune, March 13, 2017, http://fortune.com/2017/03/13/female-founders-venture-capital.
Forbes reports there was: Ryan Mac, “Stitch Fix: The $250 Million Startup Playing Fashionista Moneyball,” Forbes, June 1, 2016, https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/06/01/fashionista-moneyball-stitch-fix-katrina-lake/#5445e8fd59a2.
“Women: Stop making startups”: Jolie O’Dell (@jolieodell), “Women: Stop making startups about fashion, shopping, & babies. At least for the next few years. You’re embarrassing me,” Twitter post, Sept. 13, 2011, https://twitter.com/jolieodell/status/113681946487422976.
In a comprehensive survey: Gené Teare, “In 2017, Only 17% of Startups Have a Female Founder,” TechCrunch, April 19, 2017, https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/19/in-2017-only-17-of-startups-have-a-female-founder.
But the vast majority of venture capital: Cory Cox et al., “Global Innovation Report: 2016 Year in Review,” Crunchbase, 2016, https://static.crunchbase.com/reports/annual_2016_yf42a/crunchbase_annual_2016.pdf.
“First, you have women’s own self-limiting views”: Sharon G. Hadary, “Why Are Women-Owned Firms Smaller Than Men-Owned Ones?,” Wall Street Journal, May 17, 2010, https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704688604575125543191609632.
“young and promising”: Malin Malmstrom et al., “We Recorded VCs’ Conversations and Analyzed How Differently They Talk About Female Entrepreneurs,” Harvard Business Review, May 17, 2017, https://hbr.org/2017/05/we-recorded-vcs-conversations-and-analyzed-how-differently-they-talk-about-female-entrepreneurs.
In one study in which women: Alison Wood Brooks et al., “Investors Prefer Entrepreneurial Ventures Pitched by Attractive Men,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Feb. 20, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1321202111.
investors tend to have lower expectations: Sarah Thébaud, “Status Beliefs and the Spirit of Capitalism: Accounting for Gender Biases in Entrepreneurship and Innovation,” Social Forces 94, no. 1 (2015), https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sov042.
“This finding suggests that when a man”: Ibid.
$977 million in annual: Stitch Fix Form S-1, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Oct. 19, 2017, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1576942/000119312517313629/d400510ds1.htm.
Wang told her story: Reed Albergotti, “Silicon Valley Women Tell of VC’s Unwanted Advances,” The Information, June 22, 2017, https://www.theinformation.com/silicon-valley-women-tell-of-vcs-unwanted-advances.
“I strongly deny”: Ibid.
“found a few examples”: Ibid.
“Where’s the outrage?”: Sarah Lacy, “Binary Capital’s Justin Caldbeck Accused of Unwanted Sexual Advances Towards Female Founders. Where’s the Outrage?,” Pando, June 22, 2017, https://pando.com/2017/06/22/binary-capitals-justin-caldbeck-accused-unwanted-sexual-advances-towards-female-founders-wheres-outrage.
“We drive women”: Ellen K. Pao (@ekp), “Here are VCs who called out Justin Caldbeck’s behavior. We drive women out of tech if we don’t speak up. Ty @niniane @susan_ho @leitihsu,” Twitter post, June 22, 2017, https://twitter.com/ekp/status/878061184666058752.
“The Human Rights of Women”: Reid Hoffman, “The Human Rights of Women Entrepreneurs,” LinkedIn, June 23, 2017, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/human-rights-women-entrepreneurs-reid-hoffman.
“significant lapse of judgment”: Lizette Chapman, “Greylock COO Frangione Leaves VC Firm After ‘Lapse of Judgment,’” Bloomberg, Aug. 2, 2017.
A week after the Caldbeck revelations: Katie Benner, “Women in Tech Speak Frankly on Culture of Harassment,” New York Times, June 30, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/technology/women-entrepreneurs-speak-out-sexual-harassment.html.
“There is no doubt”: Chris Sacca, “I Have More Work to Do,” Medium, June 30, 2017, https://medium.com/@sacca/i-have-more-work-to-do-c775c5d56ca1.
Another entrepreneur, Sarah Kunst: Benner, “Women in Tech Speak Frankly on Culture of Harassment.”
“I’m a Creep”: Dave McClure, “I’m a Creep. I’m Sorry,” Medium, July 1, 2017, https://medium.com/@davemcclure/im-a-creep-i-m-sorry-d2c13e996ea0.
“Dave kept pouring scotch”: Cheryl Yeoh, “Shedding Light on the ‘Black Box of Inappropriateness,’” cherylyeoh.com, July 3, 2017, https://cherylyeoh.com/2017/07/03/shedding-light-on-the-black-box-of-inappropriateness/.
yet another prominent investor, Shervin Pishevar: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-01/uber-investor-shervin-pishevar-accused-of-sexual-misconduct-by-multiple-women.
called his claims “delusional”: Twitter post, Nov. 6, 2017, https://twitter.com/Timodc/status/927748124684075008.
“Obviously, I am deeply disturbed”: Albergotti, “Silicon Valley Women Tell of VC’s Unwanted Advances.”
At the height of the scandal: Ann Lai vs. Binary Capital Management, LLC (Cal. 2017), https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3881456/Complaint-against-Binary-Capital-by-Ann-Lai.pdf.
“They wanted their office”: Miranda Agee, “Go Inside Incredibly Chic Office Spaces,” Architectural Digest, Jan. 21, 2016, https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/inside-chic-office-spaces.
Recode added Katrina Lake’s name: Kara Swisher and Jason Del Rey, “Stitch Fix’s CEO Complained About the Behavior of Investor Justin Caldbeck Years Ago,” Recode, June 27, 2017, https://www.recode.net/2017/6/27/15880434/stitch-fix-ceo-justin-caldbeck-complaint-katrina-lake-sexual-harassment.
“In light of what we have learned”: Lightspeed, “4/ In light of what we have learned since, we regret we did not take stronger action. It is clear now that we should have done more,” Twitter post, June 27, 2017, https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp/status/879731401242705920.
“we have never had reference checks”: Sarah McBride and Lizette Chapman, “Venture Capital’s Secret Code Is Being Tested by Harassment Scandals,” Bloomberg, July 27, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-27/venture-capital-s-secret-code-tested-by-harassment-scandals.
From 2014 to 2017, venture investors: Kyle Stanford, “These 16 Charts Illustrate Current Trends in the US VC Industry,” PitchBook, July 27, 2017, https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/these-16-charts-illustrate-current-trends-in-the-us-vc-industry.
widely used term “unicorn”: Aileen Lee, “Welcome to the Unicorn Club: Learning from Billion-Dollar Startups,” TechCrunch, Nov. 2, 2013, https://techcrunch.com/2013/11/02/welcome-to-the-unicorn-club.
“complete with sunset cruises”: Rosewood Hotel: Venture Social Club email message, March 2017.
CHAPTER 6: SEX AND THE VALLEY: MEN PLAY, WOMEN PAY
“He was in an open relationship”: Fowler, “Reflecting on One Very, Very Strange Year at Uber.”
incident made her “feel horrible”: Efrati, “Uber Group’s Visit to Seoul Escort Bar Sparked an HR Complaint.”
poly meet-up group at Google: Julian Sanction, “The Ins and Outs of Silicon Valley’s New Sexual Revolution,” Wired, April 4, 2017.
CHAPTER 7: HOW TECH DISRUPTS FAMILY
“I talked about it”: Branson and Sandberg, interview by author, Bloomberg, April 23, 2015.
It wasn’t long before: Alison DeNisco, “How Egg-Freezing Is Keeping More Women in the Tech Industry,” TechRepublic, Aug. 15, 2017, https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-egg-freezing-is-keeping-more-women-in-the-tech-industry-the-inside-story/.
“We take care of the details”: “Benefits and Perks,” Dropbox, 2017, https://www.dropbox.com/jobs/perks.
“at all stages of life”: “Benefits,” Facebook, 2017, https://www.facebook.com/careers/benefits.
One study found: Quora, “Why Women Leave the Tech Industry at a 45% Higher Rate Than Men,” Forbes, Feb. 28, 2017, https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/02/28/why-women-leave-the-tech-industry-at-a-45-higher-rate-than-men/#2a6603db4216.
In 2013, researchers found: Jennifer L. Glass et al., “What’s So Special About STEM? A Comparison of Women’s Retention in STEM and Professional Occupations,” PMC, Aug. 21, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sot092.
While 80 percent of women: Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Laura Sherbin, “Athena Factor 2.0: Accelerating Female Talent in Science, Engineering, and Technology,” Center for Talent Innovation, 2014, http://www.talentinnovation.org/assets/Athena-2-ExecSummFINAL-CTI.pdf.
In a comprehensive report: Glass et al., “What’s So Special About STEM?”
In a recent survey: Nadya A. Fouad, “Women’s Reasons for Leaving the Engineering Field,” Frontiers in Psychology, June 30, 2017, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00875.
Research by the Founder Institute: Adeo Ressi, “Is There a Peak Age for Entrepreneurship?,” TechCrunch, May 28, 2011, https://techcrunch.com/2011/05/28/peak-age-entrepreneurship.
“90 Hrs / Wk and Loving It”: Andy Hertzfeld, “90 Hours a Week and Loving It!,” Folklore, Oct. 1983, https://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=90_Hours_A_Week_And_Loving_It.txt.
“especially ambitious workforce”: “Is Silicon Valley at Risk of a Brain Drain?,” Indeed blog, April 3, 2017, http://blog.indeed.com/2017/04/03/silicon-valley-tech-job-migration.
When Google increased its paid maternity: Susan Wojcicki, “Paid Maternity Leave Is Good for Business,” Wall Street Journal, Dec. 16, 2014, https://www.wsj.com/articles/susan-wojcicki-paid-maternity-leave-is-good-for-business-1418773756.
Facebook offers four months: Mark Zuckerberg, “When Max was born, I took two months of paternity leave . . .” Facebook post, Aug. 18, 2017, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fdib=10103974023786271 &set=a.612287952871.2204760.4&type=3&theater.
“You can work long”: Jeff Bezos, “Amazon.com Exhibit 99.1,” U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Archives, 1998, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018724/000119312517120198/d373368dex991.htm.
“When I first got into tech”: Blake Robbins (@blakeir), “When I first got into tech. I thought it was ‘cool’ to work on the weekends or holidays. I quickly realized that’s a recipe for disaster,” Twitter post, May 29, 2017, https://twitter.com/blakeir/status/869273958478118913.
“Not hanging with friends”: Robbins, “Not hanging with friends and family because you’re working isn’t ‘cool.’ Burning out isn’t ‘cool,’” Twitter post, May 29, 2017, https://twitter.com/blakeir/status/869274892298063873.
“Your competition isn’t beating you”: Robbins, “I promise you . . . your competition isn’t beating you because they are working more hours than you. It’s because they are working smarter,” Twitter post, May 29, 2017, https://twitter.com/blakeir/status/869275129712443393.
The PayPal Mafia member: Keith Rabois (@rabois), “Totally false,” Twitter post, May 29, 2017, https://twitter.com/rabois/status/869292464120541184.
“Read a bio of Elon”: Rabois, “Read a bio of Elon. Or about Amazon. Or about the first 4 years of FB. Or PayPal. Or Bill Bellichick,” Twitter post, May 29, 2017, https://twitter.com/rabois/status/869293322581401600.
The Twitter tiff resurfaced: Shyam Sankar, “The Case Against Work- Life Balance: Owning Your Future,” shyamsankar.com, Nov. 16, 2015, http://shyamsankar.com/the-case-against-work-life-balance-owning-your-future.
In a 2012 interview: Sheryl Sandberg, “I Am Leaving Work at 5:30p,” Makers, 2012, https://www.makers.com/moments/leaving-work-530pm.
“couldn’t have gotten more publicity”: Sarah Frier, “How Sheryl Sandberg’s Manifesto Drives Facebook,” Bloomberg, April 27, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-04-27/how-sheryl-sandberg-s-sharing-manifesto-drives-facebook.
“Thank you, we’re all leaving”: Ibid.
hide her exit time: Ibid.
“Of course I do”: Sheryl Sandberg, “Sheryl Sandberg: Bloomberg Studio 1.0 (Full Show),” interview by author, Bloomberg, Aug. 9, 2017, video, 24:16, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2017-08-10/sheryl-sandberg-bloomberg-studio-1-0-full-show-video.
“broader group of employees”: “Uber Report: Eric Holder’s Recommendations for Change.”
A true marvel: Steven Levy, “One More Thing: Inside Apple’s Insanely Great (or Just Insane) New Mothership,” Wired, May 16, 2017, https://www.wired.com/2017/05/apple-park-new-silicon-valley-campus.
“everything an Apple employee”: Beth Spotswood, “Apple’s Campus Has Everything—Oh, Except Daycare,” SFist, May 19, 2017, http://sfist.com/2017/05/19/apples_campus_has_everything_-_oh_e.php.
Because child care has proven: Rose Marcario, “Patagonia’s CEO Explains How to Make On-Site Child Care Pay for Itself,” Fast Company, Aug. 15, 2016, https://www.fastcompany.com/3062792/patagonias-ceo-explains-how-to-make-onsite-child-care-pay-for-itself.
“silently slandered” women: Katharine Zaleski, “Female Company President: ‘I’m Sorry to All the Mothers I Worked With,’” Fortune, March 3, 2015, http://fortune.com/2015/03/03/female-company-president-im-sorry-to-all-the-mothers-i-used-to-work-with.
According to one 2014 study: Brad Harrington et al., “The New Dad: Take Your Leave,” Boston College Center for Work and Family, 2014, http://www.thenewdad.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/BCCWF_The_New_Dad_2014_FINAL.157170735.pdf.
Studies show that in all fields: Claire Cain Miller, “The Motherhood Penalty vs. the Fatherhood Bonus,” New York Times, Sept. 6, 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/upshot/a-child-helps-your-career-if-youre-a-man.html.
research shows that output: John Pencavel, “The Productivity of Working Hours,” IZA, April 2014, http://ftp.iza.org/dp8129.pdf.
working too long can be counterproductive: Sarah Green Carmichael, “The Research is Clear: Long Hours Backfire for People and for Companies,” Harvard Business Review, Aug. 19 2015, https://hbr.org/2015/08/the-research-is-clear-long-hours-backfire-for-people-and-for-companies.
In a response to Keith Rabois: Sara Mauskopf, “I Actually Agree with Keith Rabois,” LinkedIn, May 31, 2017, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-actually-agree-keith-rabois-sara-mauskopf.
She also pointed out: “The Top 20 Reasons Startups Fail,” CB Insights, Oct. 8, 2014, https://www.cbinsights.com/research/startup-failure-reasons-top.
CHAPTER 8: ESCAPE FROM TROLLTOPIA: WOMEN’S FIGHT TO SAVE THE INTERNET
Brianna Wu has been tormented: David Whitford, “Brianna Wu vs. the Gamergate Troll Army,” Inc., April 2015, https://www.inc.com/magazine/201504/david-whitford/gamergate-why-would-anyone-want-to-kill-brianna-wu.html.
Gaming is a billion-dollar business: “Market Brief: Global Games 2017: The Year to Date,” Superdata, 2017, https://www.superdataresearch.com/market-data/market-brief-year-in-review.
One of the earliest rape-simulation: Marcel Klum, “Top Ten Shameful Games,” Neowin, Dec. 29, 2002, https://www.neowin.net/news/top-ten-shameful-games.
In Take-Two Interactive’s monster hit: Paul Tassi, “Here Are the Five Best-Selling Video Games of All Time,” Forbes, July 8, 2016, https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2016/07/08/here-are-the-five-best-selling-video-games-of-all-time/#28654775926c.
“It is art”: Strauss Zelnick, “‘Grand Theft Auto’ Hits Next Gen Platforms,” interview by Stephanie Ruhle, Bloomberg, Nov. 18, 2014, video, 9:47, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2014-11-18/grand-theft-auto-hits-next-gen-platforms.
In 2016, the International Game Developers Association: Joanna Weststar et al., “Developer Satisfaction Survey 2014 & 2015,” International Game Developers Association, June 12, 2016, https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.igda.org/resource/collection/CB31CE86-F8EE-4AE3-B46A-148490336605/IGDA_DSS14-15_DiversityReport_Aug2016_Final.pdf.
“This is written almost entirely”: Eron Gjoni, “Why Does This Exist?,” Zoe Post, Aug. 16, 2014, https://thezoepost.wordpress.com.
They derided Quinn’s game: “What Is Gamergate?,” Reddit, 2014, https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/2f7g5l/what_is_gamergate/.
“There’s been a disgusting large imbalance”: Bendilin Spurr, “Beat Up Anita Sarkeesian,” New Grounds, July 5, 2012, https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/598591.
“emotional outbursts” in “electronic mail”: Erik Eckholm, “Emotional Outbursts Punctuate Conversations by Computer,” New York Times, Oct. 2, 1984, http://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/02/science/emotional-outbursts-punctuate-conversations-by-computer.html.
“low I.Q. Crazy Mika”: Donald Trump (@realDonaldTrump), “I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don’t watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came,” Twitter post, June 29, 2017, https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/880408582310776832.
“bleeding badly from a face-lift”: Donald Trump (@realDonaldTrump), “. . . to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year’s Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!” Twitter post, June 29, 2017, https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/880410114456465411.
Studies show that men: Nadia Kovacs, “Online Harassment: Halting a Disturbing ‘New Normal,’” W. W. Norton, Oct. 10, 2016, https://community.norton.com/en/blogs/norton-protection-blog/online-harassment-halting-disturbing-new-normal.
Girls are also disproportionately: Eric Rice et al., “Cyberbullying Perpetration and Victimization Among Middle-School Students,” PMC, March 2015, https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302393.
Young women, particularly those aged: Maeve Duggan, “Online Harassment,” Pew Research Center, Oct. 22, 2014, http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/10/22/online-harassment.
“Rape threats have become”: Gillian McNally, “All Feminists Should Be Gang-Raped: Inside the Disturbing World of Online Misogyny,” Daily Telegraph, July 30, 2015, http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/why-do-men-threaten-women-with-rape-to-shut-them-up-on-the-web/news-story/0abd8403e59747a51717f54b81a21b46.
38 percent of women: Asibo, “Gender, Trolls, and Cyber-harassment,” Storify, 2014, https://storify.com/asibo/gender-trolls-and-cyber-harassment.
“I feel like I’m in a personal hell”: Leslie Jones (@lesdoggg), Twitter post, July 18, 2016, https://twitter.com/lesdoggg/status/755261962674696192.
“Twitter I understand”: Anna Silman, “A Timeline of Leslie Jones’s Horrific Online Abuse,” Cut, Aug. 24, 2016, https://www.thecut.com/2016/08/a-timeline-of-leslie-joness-horrific-online-abuse.html.
“you may not incite”: “The Twitter Rules,” Twitter, 2017, https://support.twitter.com/articles/18311.
When big-name companies: Mark Bergen, “Google Updates Ads Policies Again, Ramps Up AI to Curtail YouTube Crisis,” Bloomberg, April 3, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-03/google-updates-ads-polices-again-ramps-up-ai-to-curtail-youtube-crisis.
“machine learning tools”: “Introducing Expanded YouTube Partner Program Safeguards to Protect Creators,” YouTube Creator Blog, April 6, 2017, https://youtube-creators.googleblog.com/2017/04/introducing-expanded-youtube-partner.html.
says it works harder: Deepa Seetharaman, “Twitter Takes More Proactive Approach to Finding Trolls,” Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles/twitter-takes-more-proactive-approach-to-finding-trolls-1488394514.
66 million users: Brad Stone and Miguel Helft, “Facebook Hires Google Executive as No. 2,” New York Times, March 4, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/technology/04cnd-facebook.html.
In 2017, it added: Olivia Solon, “Facebook Is Hiring Moderators. But Is the Job Too Gruesome to Handle?,” Guardian, May 4, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/04/facebook-content-moderators-ptsd-psychological-dangers.
In an interview with Axios: Mike Allen, “Exclusive Interview with Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg,” Axios, Oct. 12, 2017, https://www.axios.com/exclusive-interview-facebook-sheryl-sandberg-2495538841.html.
“a better place for everyone”: Pao, Reset, 166.
When one of the site’s: Mike Isaac, “Details Emerge About Victoria Taylor’s Dismissal at Reddit,” New York Times, July 13, 2015, https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/13/details-emerge-about-victoria-taylors-dismissal-at-reddit.
“The trolls are winning”: Ellen Pao, “Former Reddit CEO Ellen Pao: The Trolls Are Winning the Battle for the Internet,” Washington Post, July 16, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-cannot-let-the-internet-trolls-win/2015/07/16/91b1a2d2-2b17-11e5-bd33-395c05608059_story.html?utm_term=.9c3c31e3f4ca.
“I have said many times”: Spez, “With So Much Going On in the World, I Thought I’d Share Some Reddit Updates to Distract You All,” Reddit, Aug. 2017, https://www.reddit.com/r/announcements/comments/6qptzw/with_so_much_going_on_in_the_world_i_thought_id.
In a new study, researchers: Eshwar Chandrasekharan et al., “You Can’t Stay Here: The Efficacy of Reddit’s 2015 Ban Examined Through Hate Speech,” Proceedings of the ACM on Human Computer Interaction 1, no. 2 (Nov. 2017), http://comp.social.gatech.edu/papers/cscw18-chand-hate.pdf.
In League of Legends: Phil Kollar, “The Past, Present, and Future League of Legends Studio Riot Games,” Polygon, Sept. 13, 2016, https://www.polygon.com/2016/9/13/12891656/the-past-present-and-future-of-league-of-legends-studio-riot-games.
In fact, research shows: Jeffrey H. Kuznekoff and Lindsey M. Rose, “Communication in Multiplayer Gaming: Examining Player Responses to Gender Cues,” New Media & Society 15, no. 4 (2013), https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444812458271.
“Shut that fucking bitch up”: Jenny Haniver, “Quiet Time,” Not in the Kitchen Anymore, Sept. 13, 2017, http://www.notinthekitchenanymore.com.
“If you think most online abuse”: Laura Hudson, “Curbing Online Abuse Isn’t Impossible. Here’s Where We Start,” Wired, May 15, 2014, https://www.wired.com/2014/05/fighting-online-harassment.
It saw not only a 30 percent: Ibid.
“It took Riot’s interjection”: Ibid.
there were 100 million: Kollar, “Past, Present, and Future League of Legends Studio Riot Games.”
They can’t control everything: John Suler, “The Online Disinhibition Effect,” CyberPsychology & Behavior 7, no. 3 (July 2004): 321–26, http://truecenterpublishing.com/psycyber/disinhibit.html.
“You’re not physically being”: Jordan Belamire, “My First Reality Groping,” Medium, Oct. 20, 2016, https://mic.com/articles/157415/my-first-virtual-reality-groping-sexual-assault-in-vr-harassment-in-tech-jordan-belamire#.SBtg4xhEG.
QuiVr developers: Julia Carrie Wong, “Sexual Harassment in Virtual Reality Feels All Too Real—‘It’s Creepy Beyond Creepy,’” Guardian, Oct. 26, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/26/virtual-reality-sexual-harassment-online-groping-quivr.
Running for Congress: Brianna Wu, “Bold Leadership for Massachusetts,” Brianna Wu for Congress, 2017, https://briannawu2018.com/platform.
CHAPTER 9: SILICON VALLEY’S SECOND CHANCE
“I’ve never seen anything quite”: Meg Whitman, “Meg Whitman Says Sexual Harassment Cases May Change Workplace,” interview by author, Bloomberg, Nov. 28, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-28/hpe-s-whitman-says-sexual-harassment-cases-may-change-workplace.
Research shows that companies: Susan Sorenson, “How Employee Engagement Drives Growth,” Gallup, June 20, 2013, http://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/163130/employee-engagement-drives-growth.aspx.
Higher morale and a more: Eric G. Lambert, Nancy Lynne Hogan, and Shannon M. Barton, “The Impact of Job Satisfaction on Turnover Intent: A Test of a Structural Measurement Model Using a National Sample of Workers,” Social Science Journal 38, no. 2 (Summer 2001): 233–50, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0362-3319(01)00110-0.
Another way to look at this: Michael Kimmel, “Why Gender Equality Is Good for Everyone—Men Included,” TED talk, May 2015, https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_kimmel_why_gender_equality_is_good_for_everyone_men_included.
In a wide-ranging study: Lone Christiansen et al., “Gender Diversity in Senior Positions and Firm Performance: Evidence from Europe,” IMF, March 2016, https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2016/wp1650.pdf.
Women not only represent: “Statistics About Women,” Female Factor, 2016, http://www.thefemalefactor.com/statistics/statistics_about_women.html.
It’s not just creating”: Jack Dorsey, “Square’s Dorsey on Earnings, New Growth, Outlook,” interview by author, Bloomberg, Aug. 2, 2017, video, 14:00, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po9XQcAyvTE.
“We are simultaneously proud”: “Diversity at Slack,” Slack, April 26, 2017, https://slackhq.com/diversity-at-slack-d44aba51d4b6.
Butterfield tweeted at her: Stewart Butterfield (@stewart), “@EricaJoy Be safe,” Twitter post, Nov. 25, 2014, https://twitter.com/stewart/status/537433607174770689.
“He is woke”: Melody Hahm, “How a Single Tweet Landed Erica Baker a Top Engineering Job at Slack,” Yahoo, May 11, 2016, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/slack-senior-engineer-erica-baker-stewart-butterfield-diversity-in-tech-silicon-valley-154010403.html.
she joined the Slack team: Erica Joy Baker, “Seeking Happy,” Medium, May 11, 2015, https://medium.com/this-is-hard/seeking-happy-58a2a375340a.
These included diligence: Nolan Caudill, “Building the Workplace We Want,” Slack, Jan. 12, 2015, https://slackhq.com/building-the-workplace-we-want-31fff8d6ffe0.
The research shows that the effects: Iris Bohnet, What Works (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 2016).
Emerson says that’s reason: Joelle Emerson, “Don’t Give Up on Unconscious Bias Training—Make It Better,” Harvard Business Review, April 28, 2017, https://hbr.org/2017/04/dont-give-up-on-unconscious-bias-training-make-it-better.
“When the candidate is asked”: Julia Grace, “A Walkthrough Guide to Finding an Engineering Job at Slack,” Slack, May 4, 2016, https://slack.engineering/a-walkthrough-guide-to-finding-an-engineering-job-at-slack-dc07dd7b0144.
Pinterest, another client: Abby Maldonado, “Diversifying Engineering Referrals at Pinterest,” Medium, Jan. 15, 2016, https://medium.com/pinclusion-posts/diversifying-engineering-referrals-at-pinterest-de3978556990.
Research shows that job: Emily Peck, “Here Are the Words That May Keep Women from Applying for Jobs,” Huffington Post, June 2, 2015, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/02/textio-unitive-bias-software_n_7493624.html.
“We believe everyone deserves”: “Career Opportunities,” Slack, accessed Nov. 20, 2017, https://slack.com/careers#openings.
Glassdoor, a company: Andrew Chamberlain, “Demystifying the Gender Pay Gap,” Glassdoor, March 23, 2016, https://www.glassdoor.com/research/studies/gender-pay-gap/.
For computer programming: Andrew Chamberlain, “The Widest Gender Pay Gaps in Tech,” Glassdoor, Nov. 15, 2016, https://www.glassdoor.com/research/studies/gender-pay-gap/.
In 2015, Slack performed: “Inclusion and Diversity at Slack,” Slack, Sept. 9, 2015, https://slackhq.com/inclusion-and-diversity-at-slack-e42f93845732.
The company is also contributing: “Diversity at Slack,” Slack, April 26, 2017, https://slackhq.com/diversity-at-slack-d44aba51d4b6.
Halfway through 2017: Erica Joy Baker, “Tech Diversity and Inclusion Post-mortem,” GitHub, June 22, 2017, https://gist.github.com/EricaJoy/f13441a2ec9a014ae00e5e9c1704ea4a.
She took the microphone: Niniane Wang, “Brainstorm Tech: Fixing Inequality in Silicon Valley,” interview by author, Fortune Brainstorm Tech Town Hall, July 18, 2017, video, 39:08, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWXw_bclArI.
VCs, stop asking women entrepreneurs: Nicole Farb, at “Brainstorm Tech: Fixing Inequality in Silicon Valley.”
“In Silicon Valley today”: Christa Quarles, at “Brainstorm Tech: Fixing Inequality in Silicon Valley.”
“Without a doubt”: Adam Miller, at “Brainstorm Tech: Fixing Inequality in Silicon Valley.”
Apple’s diversity numbers: “Inclusion and Diversity,” Apple, accessed Nov. 20, 2017, https://www.apple.com/diversity.
According to Code.org: Code.org, “Girls Set AP Computer Science Record . . . Skyrocketing Growth Outpaces Boys,” Medium, July 18, 2017, https://medium.com/@codeorg/girls-set-ap-computer-science-record-skyrocketing-growth-outpaces-boys-41b7c01373a5.
Still, girls’ peers in computer science: Ibid.
their teachers are still mostly men: Samuel F. Way et al., “Gender, Productivity, and Prestige in Computer Science Faculty Hiring Networks,” Proceedings 2016 World Wide Web Conference (2016): 1169–79, https://doi.org/10.1145/2872427.2883073.
“We Love Code”: “We Love Code: Meet the Awesome Girls Who Own It,” Seventeen, Dec./Jan. 2016.
But the 1960s also marked: Roberts, “A History of Capacity Challenges in Computer Science.”