The Silicon Valley sexism lawsuit brought by Ellen Pao against venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins has rocked the tech world for the last two weeks. Currently the interim CEO of Reddit, Pao says a male partner made her life at the firm difficult by retaliating against her after she ended a sexual relationship with him. She is now suing Kleiner Perkins for $16 million, claiming she was passed over for promotions while she worked there because she is a woman.
For its part, Kleiner Perkins says Pao did not have the skills necessary to advance at the firm, and failed to meet expectations, which was reflected in her performance reviews. Pao was dismissed from the firm in 2012.
There is no shortage of women who report frat-house environments in SiliconValley organizations. The Pao case has forced one of the more venerable firms in that arena to air some uncomfortable information, such as its interoffice emails and salaries.
Ellen Pao’s victory is nowhere near assured, but the questions it has raised should have far-reaching implications, and will hopefully echo in the tech industry for a long time.
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