Ellen Pao has lost her sexism case. Pao had claimed that she was overlooked for promotions at Silicon Valley firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield due to her gender, but a jury in California decided that she was not discriminated against.
Pao, who is now a boss at Reddit, had said that she was dismissed after complaining about the treatment. Her former bosses hit back, saying that her dismissal was based on her performance. The case has caught the attention of the world and has raised questions about why so many tech firms seem to be male-dominated.
Kleiner Perkins has invested in a number of tech companies in the past, including Spotify, Twitter and Google. Ms Pao had been looking for punitive damages and an additional $16 million in lost earnings compensation. Her law team argued that she was discriminated against because of the way the company treat men and women differently.
The company’s representatives hit back by saying she was a failed investor and only took legal action in order to obtain a large payout, adding that she was difficult to work with and had a history of becoming involved in internal conflicts. It’s thought that the case will have a significant impact on the tech industry regardless of the outcome.
