Saturday, March 28, 2015

What the Kleiner verdict means for Silicon Valley

The San Jose Mercury reports:
It was always a long shot.

The jury in Ellen Pao's sex discrimination case against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers had to find that Pao's gender was the reason she didn't ascend to the rarefied club of general partners at the vaunted venture capital firm.

They had to believe that the slights Pao experienced, the odd conversation about porn stars on a private jet and the boards she was left off, had a cumulative effect; that she couldn't get ahead no matter what, because she is a woman.

They had to ignore her performance reviews, criticizing her for conflicts with other partners.

But they did not, on Friday, delivering a sweeping legal victory to Kleiner, and leaving Pao without the millions she sought.
An article for HR professionals.