Codeshare 2017 - Not just Uber

Susan Fowler recently came forward with her story of being sexually harassed and discriminated against at Uber. The story was picked up by almost all major news sources, including the NYTimes, and has forced Uber to begin a serious internal investigation. In light of the allegations, Uber investors have come forward denouncing the company’s culture, and over 100 Uber employees are already said to have resigned.

Many are shocked and outraged at how Susan was treated, even after she (and other women) repeatedly reported incidents to HR. However, this story is not unusual, and many women in tech have been sharing their own similar experiences for years. And yet, diversity numbers and tech culture haven’t changed for the better.

This talk is an exploration of what happens when women in tech whistleblow. It will:
- Give a short history of women whistleblowing in tech
- Cover the impact that these incidents have had on the individuals and companies involved, and on the industry’s culture as a whole
- Aim to answer the question: Will Susan’s story engender lasting positive change?

Transcript

1. Not just Uber @alexqin #notjustuber #codeshare
2. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
3. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
4. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
5. what happens when women in tech whistleblow? #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
6. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
7. whistleblower #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
8. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
9. whis·tle-blow·er A whistleblower is a person who exposes any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal, unethical, or not correct within an organization that is either private or public. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
10. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
11. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
12. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
13. whistleblow public reaction impact on whistleblower impact on organization #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
14. Julie Ann Horvath @nrrrdcore Github 3/14 #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
15. whistleblow #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
16. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
17. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
18. public reaction #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
19. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
20. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
21. impact on whistleblower #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
22. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
23. doxx search for and publish private or identifying information about (a particular individual) on the Internet, typically with malicious intent. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
24. “The tweet Horvath has burned into her mind is an anonymous one that lists her address and threatens sexual assault on her and her entire family, including her 9-year-old niece.” #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
25. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
26. impact on organization #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
27. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
28. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
29. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
30. whistleblow: Julie Ann Horvath, Github - 3/14 public reaction: 350 RTs, 223 likes impact on whistleblower: doxx, PTSD impact on organization: null #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
31. Erica Joy @EricaJoy Google 11/14 #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
32. whistleblow #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
33. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
34. “Did you get that bruise from your boyfriend beating you?” and “I bet your parents abused you as a child.” #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
35. “I went to my manager about the problems, told him that I planned to speak with HR. It was decided that the best way to deal with the ‘tension’ between that coworker and I was for me to transfer to New York, despite my not wanting to move there.” #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
36. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
37. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
38. public reaction #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
39. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
40. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
41. impact on whistleblower #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
42. “The stress also caused some level of depression, which I wasn’t really aware of until recently. I’m working on fixing this, for the sake of my mental and physical health. “ #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
43. impact on organization #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
44. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
45. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
46. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
47. whistleblow: Erica Joy, Google - 11/14 public reaction: 1.5k likes (medium) 
 215 RTs, 290 likes (twitter) impact on whistleblower: depression impact on organization: null #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
48. Ellen Pao @ekp Kleiner Perkins 2/15 #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
49. whistleblow #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
50. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
51. “Ms. Pao says a married colleague pressured her into an affair and then retaliated against her when she broke it off. When she complained, she says she was discriminated against and got poor reviews, resulting ultimately in her dismissal. She accuses Kleiner of treating her ‘despicably, maliciously, fraudulently and oppressively’ from ‘an improper and evil motive amounting to malice.’ #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
52. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
53. public reaction #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
54. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
55. impact on whistleblower #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
56. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
57. impact on organization #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
58. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
59. whistleblow: Ellen Pao, Kleiner Perkins - 2/15 public reaction: national news coverage impact on whistleblower: online harassment impact on organization: null #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
60. Amélie Lamont @amelielamont Squarespace 3/16 #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
61. whistleblow #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
62. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
63. “She stared at me for a few seconds and remarked, ‘Oh. I didn’t see you. You blended in. You’re so black, you blend into the chair.’” #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
64. public reaction #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
65. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
66. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
67. impact on whistleblower #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
68. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
69. “I published the article about 3 months ago now, and people have just been incredibly supportive. More importantly, I’ve realized this is something that happens to so many people, especially women of color. Writing the article, as scary as it was for me, was good because it also encouraged two other women of color who worked at Squarespace to speak up, who confirmed the toxic environment.” #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
70. “It turns out that I have a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. […] I’ve slowly been improving, but what has Squarespace done?” #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
71. impact on organization #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
72. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
73. whistleblow: Amélie Lamont, Squarespace - 3/16 public reaction: 1.8k likes impact on whistleblower: PTSD impact on organization: null #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
74. Susan J. Fowler @susanthesquark Uber 2/17 #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
75. whistleblow #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
76. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
77. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
78. “On my first official day rotating on the team, my new manager sent me a string of messages over company chat. […] He was trying to stay out of trouble at work, he said, but he couldn't help getting in trouble, because he was looking for women to have sex with.” #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
79. “When I reported the situation, I was told by both HR and upper management that even though this was clearly sexual harassment […], it was this man's first offense, and that they wouldn't feel comfortable giving him anything other than a warning and a stern talking-to. […] He ‘was a high performer.’” #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
80. public reaction #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
81. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
82. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
83. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
84. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
85. #deleteUber > 30,000,000 impressions #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
86. impact on whistleblower #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
87. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
88. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
89. impact on organization #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
90. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
91. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
92. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
93. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
94. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
95. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
96. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
97. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
98. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
99. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
100. whistleblow: Susan J. Fowler, Uber - 2/17 public reaction: 11k likes (blog)
 30k RTs, 20k likes (twitter)
 front page national news
 #deleteUber > 3,000,000 impr. impact on whistleblower: threat of retaliation impact on organization: over 9000 #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
101. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin sexual harassment microaggressions overt racism systemic gender based discrimination (salary, career opportunities, and advancement) ignored by HR retaliation and/or threats from manager after documenting discrimination
102. what was different? #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
103. she was a published author #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
104. she was a published author she documented everything #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
105. she was a published author she documented everything everyone already hated uber #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
106. she was a published author she documented everything everyone already hated uber she is white #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
107. she was a published author she documented everything everyone already hated uber she is white post 45 #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
108. she was a published author she documented everything everyone already hated uber she is white post 45 others came before her and helped pave the way #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
109. #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
110. should YOU whistleblow? #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
111. maybe, and carefully #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
112. what can WE do? #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
113. vote with your dollar #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
114. share their stories #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
115. foster inclusive spaces #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
116. use your privilege to call this out #notjustuber #codeshare @alexqin
117. Not just Uber @alexqin #notjustuber #codeshare