If I Had a Hundred Billion Dollars, I Could Send Anybody into Space
Ellen Pao
This week on All Ears, Abby is joined by Ellen Pao. Pao made headlines in 2012 when she sued venture capital firm Kleiner-Perkins for gender discrimination. In 2015 she lost the lawsuit, but it sent shockwaves throughout Silicon Valley and got people talking about the rampant bro-culture, sexism, and bad behaviors that had gone unchallenged there for so long. She went on to become the interim CEO of Reddit, where she banned revenge porn and shut down some of the worst subreddits. Now she runs Project Include, a non-profit that is focused on increasing diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. In this week’s conversation with Abby, she talks about the impact of her lawsuit, her brief but influential time at Reddit, Silicon Valley’s obsession with 26-year-old white, cis men in hoodies, and her hope for the future of the tech industry. Tune in for a thoughtful discussion on what can go right and what does go wrong in Silicon Valley.
Find Ellen on Twitter: @ekp
Special Guest
Ellen Pao
CEO, Project Include, Author of Reset
Ellen is co-founder and CEO of Project Include, a nonprofit using data and advocacy to accelerate diversity and inclusion solutions and practices in the tech industry. She has invested in dozens of technology startups, first as a venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins from 2005 to 2012 and then on her own as an angel investor. She has served as interim CEO at reddit, where she banned harassment, unauthorized nude photos, and revenge porn. She also worked in business development at BEA Systems, Tellme Networks, and Microsoft WebTV. She has a B.S.E. in electrical engineering from Princeton University with a certificate from the school of public and international affairs. She also earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.