A Backlash Builds Against Sexual Harassment in Silicon Valley - The New York Times
▻https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/03/technology/silicon-valley-sexual-harassment.html
Several other start-up investors have also issued mea culpas for not doing enough to prevent sexual harassment, with some around the world beginning to strategize over how to avert the episodes in the first place. The New England Venture Capital Association, a trade group, last week invited its members to sign an anti-discrimination and sexual harassment statement. In Australia, start-up entrepreneurs also issued a statement condemning the behavior.
For years, the start-up and venture capital industry — which is predominantly male — has been immune to criticism about its behavior because the industry has created immense wealth by churning out hit companies, such as Facebook, Snap and Uber. The backlash now suggests that those successes are no longer enough to excuse the anything-goes conduct of some investors and entrepreneurs.
With more women willing to speak openly about harassment and discrimination, Kate Mitchell, a founder of a Silicon Valley venture firm, Scale Venture Partners, said the industry was facing “a tipping point.”
“The fact this behavior is pervasive and what we know seems to be the tip of the iceberg has made us understand the difficulty and reality of our challenge,” Ms. Mitchell said. “Actions need to be more aggressive and more all encompassing than what I previously thought.”
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