Dusseldorf Francoise Brougher’s story is not one of the glass ceiling. The French woman was right at the top, top manager of one of the most famous Internet companies in Silicon Valley. As the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Pinterest, she was supposed to develop its advertising business and make the company fit for the IPO. Half of the 1500 employees reported to the ex-Google manager.
And yet the story of Francoise Brougher is one of sexism, which exists in many, often hidden, variants and which women encounter at all career levels. About sexism in Silicon Valley – in the apparently most modern companies in the world, where the buddy culture can turn out to be an obstacle to diversity. And it’s a story of how women are increasingly resisting it.
Brougher was gradually dismantled by her male colleagues, she was no longer invited to important meetings and was left out of decisions. Finally, Pinterest fired the French-born woman – despite great success – after two years. She made all of this public.
After the allegations became known, Pinterest paid $ 20 million to Brougher and $ 2.5 million to support projects for women and minorities – the largest amount in a discrimination case that Silicon Valley has ever seen.
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On the podcast, Brougher talks about sexism in the tech industry, their plans for the future – and how Silicon Valley is changing right now.
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More: The previous episode of Handelsblatt Disrupt can be found here.