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6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

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Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#111

Post by Anonymous888 »

ericvorheese wrote: post #104
Anonymous888 wrote: post #47

Binary Capital is a sleazy VC, no ifs ands or buts about it. The valley is really small, and I've heard horrific stories of what this firm has done to their employees and founders. This includes Jonathon Teo as well. This really is just the tip of the iceberg for Binary Capital. I wouldn't take any investments from them ever.

You really need to back up your assertions with concrete examples. Or you'll just be ignored.

I understand, and being ignored is okay. If someone affected by them sees this, they may feel empowered to step forward. I'd feel wrong putting names, situations, etc. out there, but the fact of the matter is, this isn't the end of this drama.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#112

Post by waisbrot »

solotronics wrote: post #42

Serious question, does free speech apply in these situations? You have the unalienable right to speak your mind and some people may be offended but that is not illegal. I totally understand if you are employed by someone you can't easily get away if you are made uncomfortable but this is entirely a voluntary situation. Also, if you really think about it making something that makes someone uncomfortable illegal is wei…

> Serious question, does free speech apply in these situations? You have the unalienable right to speak your mind and some people may be offended but that is not illegal.

"Give me all your money right now or I'll stab you with this knife!

What? What? I'm just speaking my mind, officer! Just because this guy feels offended? Hey, I thought this was America! First amendment!"

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#113

Post by mrkurt »

gizmo686 wrote: post #97
coldtea wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because men founders deal with sexual harassment (that they don't cause to others) often?

That is not the point. There are two ways to view the problem: it is either a women's problem, or a people problem that dissproportionantly affects women. By framing it as a womens problem, you are turning it into an issue of identity politics, with all the pros and cons that come with it. (eg, stronger solidarity from the in-group, at the expanse of alienating the out-group, as well as the growing backlash to identi…

This specific problem is a womens' problem. That doesn't make it gender politics. The number of women VCs is so small that there's no power imbalance to wield. What we're talking about here is individual assholes using the power of their "group" to take advantage of women. If, theoretically, a man were harassed by a woman investor she's being an asshole. But he can move on the other 9 investors who aren't women.

It's similar to police and citizens. Police who commit crimes are wielding a different power than individuals who commit crimes. It doesn't discount the crime, but it is a different problem.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#114

Post by MJPitt »

Lets just not talk to women at all. Keep it a pay-for-sex relations. If you say anything these days it's "unwanted advancements".

You're cute! Harassment Want an open relationship? Harassment Touch a girl you like? Harassment

Just think how ridiculous this is. Did you not first touch the girl you like thinking she will be ok with it? And in most cases she is. If she isn't, she just say .. i'm not ok, or move on and give you a cold shoulder. That's how we human actually interact with one another.

I'm sick of these women and more so, of these reporters, that try to destroy one person after another. For the most part, for clicks to their sites.

So there you have it, please downvote this post. Let's all be PC and just hang this guy already. His side doesn't matter. Facts don't either.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#115

Post by jsjohnst »

coldtea wrote: post #105
sp332 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hm, I am kinda against internet mobs. But I don't see a way to form a consensus about whether this guy is guilty or not, or what to do about it if he is. At the same time, we do need some kind of defense mechanism to make sure people are secure. We can't just let everything slide because we're perpetually waiting for more evidence.

> At the same time, we do need some kind of defense mechanism to make sure people are secure. Well, how about the law? > We can't just let everything slide because we're perpetually waiting for more evidence. But it's not 'sliding', it's going to court. And it doesn't concern us anyway -- it's not like we witnessed it in real life and didn't speak out.

At least one of the down votes you got was for the last sentence in your post.

Stopping sexual assault should concern everyone!

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#116

Post by reducesuffering »

What follows is a statement that Caldbeck provided to Axios this afternoon.

"The past 24 hours have been the darkest of my life. I have made many mistakes over the course of my career, some of which were brought to light this week. To say I'm sorry about my behavior is a categorical understatement. Still, I need to say it: I am so, so sorry.

I direct my apology first to those women who I've made feel uncomfortable in any way, at any time - but also to the greater tech ecosystem, a community that I have utterly failed.

The power dynamic that exists in venture capital is despicably unfair. The gap of influence between male venture capitalists and female entrepreneurs is frightening and I hate that my behavior played a role in perpetrating a gender-hostile environment. It is outrageous and unethical for any person to leverage a position of power in exchange for sexual gain, it is clear to me now that that is exactly what I've done.

I am deeply ashamed of my lack of self-awareness. I am grateful to Niniane, Susan, Leiti, and the other women who spoke up for providing me with a sobering look into my own character and behavior that I can no longer ignore. The dynamic of this industry makes it hard to speak up, but this is the type of action that leads to progress and change, starting with me.

I will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from Binary Capital, the firm I co-founded in 2014. I will be seeking professional counseling as I take steps to reflect on my behavior with and attitude towards women. I will find ways to learn from this difficult experience - and to help drive necessary changes in the broader venture community.

The Binary team will also be taking measures to ensure that the firm is a safe place for founders of all backgrounds to find the support and resources they need to change the world, without abuse of power or mistreatment of any person.

I owe a heartfelt apology to my family, my investors, my portfolio, and the team at Binary, who have been completely blindsided and in no way deserve the pain I've caused. But most of all I apologize again to those who I've hurt during the course of my career - and for the damage I've done to the industry I care so deeply about."

https://www.axios.com/justin-caldbeck-takes-indefinite-leave...

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#117

Post by sp332 »

coldtea wrote: post #105
sp332 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hm, I am kinda against internet mobs. But I don't see a way to form a consensus about whether this guy is guilty or not, or what to do about it if he is. At the same time, we do need some kind of defense mechanism to make sure people are secure. We can't just let everything slide because we're perpetually waiting for more evidence.

> At the same time, we do need some kind of defense mechanism to make sure people are secure. Well, how about the law? > We can't just let everything slide because we're perpetually waiting for more evidence. But it's not 'sliding', it's going to court. And it doesn't concern us anyway -- it's not like we witnessed it in real life and didn't speak out.

Not every argument has to go to court. I don't see this going to court anyway, but even if they do sue, he'll probably just settle out of court.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#118

Post by novia »

jmcgough wrote: post #32

Really glad to see people like this getting called out. Dealing with sexual harassment/assault from someone in power is the last thing you want as a female founder - you have a million other things you need to do to keep your startup afloat, and you don't want to rock the boat if it affects your likelihood of being funded. Feels like the valley is slowly but surely changing. And yes, I recognize that this hasn't been…

Really glad to see people like this getting called out.

This story was posted yesterday and it got flagged. (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14613890) When I saw that, I thought the Hacker News community did not care.

I am glad to see supportive comments like yours in this new thread.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#119

Post by ThrustVectoring »

Mz wrote: post #107
gizmo686 wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is not the point. There are two ways to view the problem: it is either a women's problem, or a people problem that dissproportionantly affects women. By framing it as a womens problem, you are turning it into an issue of identity politics, with all the pros and cons that come with it. (eg, stronger solidarity from the in-group, at the expanse of alienating the out-group, as well as the growing backlash to identi…

From what I have seen, this is more about who has power. Men tend to have more power than women. When the roles are reversed, women will sexually harass men. We need to work on coming up with ways to create a world in which power is less likely to lead to this type of abuse. I think that starts with generally having healthier attitudes surrounding sexuality.

It's not just power. Men and women have somewhat different distributions of personalities. Women, on average, are more willing to try to smooth things over rather than engage in explicit conflict.

If you flip the genders, then on average, abuse of power will cause outright conflict sooner rather than after it has built up to completely unacceptable levels.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#120

Post by handedness »

ithinkinstereo wrote: post #77
stickfigure wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Judging others based on unsubstantiated rumors creates a toxic environment too. We can behave better than that.

That's true, but we should also take into account how the nature of sexual harassment, and the often power imbalance between the harasser and victim, naturally provides the harasser with all the advantages. You are free to judge for yourself, but from the Information and Axios article, there does seem to be a preponderance of evidence to suggest Justin is either a serial sexual harasser/predator, at worst, or a total…

> the nature of sexual harassment, and the often power imbalance between the harasser and victim, naturally provides the harasser with all the advantages.

That is correct in cases where harassment has occurred, yes.

In cases of false accusation, though, the accuser has nearly all of the advantages. And it's not as if it never happens, either:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_accusation_of_rape#Estim...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_allegation_of_child_sexu...

Which is why due process is important both legally, and culturally. While I understand how people directly impacted by the event (and their loved ones) have neither the inclination nor the capacity to withhold judgement, mob-like indignation on the part of the public about every story which is reported is a dynamic that hasn't served us well thus far, and the situation isn't showing any signs of improving.

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