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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

#221

Post by mejari »

ddoolin wrote: post #203
irpapakons wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes you think that the women liked him, or that he thought they liked him? They were pitching to him, that's a business transaction. He himself said he leveraged a position of power in exchange for sexual gain, and the linked article mentions groping and harassment with unwanted sexual propositions. Now the question is, what motivates you to seek out a relatively far-fetched justification for this man's possib…

Perhaps they see a trend of knee-jerk reactions to these kinds of cases where the defendant is presumed guilty before the entire story or evidence is out, or before any sort of due process occurs. I can see why someone would at least try, even weakly, to counteract this type of community pressure. I realize this isn't a legal matter at this point but I'm speaking of the principle(s) on which those features are based.…

The "defendant" has already admitted to the accusations and stepped down.

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

#223

Post by staticautomatic »

rfrey wrote: post #192
bookmarkacc wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Im so, so sorry I got caught. It has been a difficult experience for me. I would have liked to see more respect given to the victims rather than telling us how difficult getting caught has been for him.

Honest question: can you tell me what phrases in particular you read this way? I read almost everything exactly the opposite way - and I'm genuinely curious which sentences can be interpreted so differently by different people.

"The past 24 hours have been the darkest of my life." - This is all about me, not the women. I've had a rough time and I want your sympathy.

"I have made many mistakes over the course of my career, some of which were brought to light this week." - I'm probably a pathological predator but prefer to view my illness and/or poor character as a set of "mistakes" because that's easier on me than admitting I'm a piece of shit.

"To say I'm sorry about my behavior is a categorical understatement." - I would acknowledge who I probably really am but I can't, if I even know.

"Still, I need to say it: I am so, so sorry." - So I'll just say "I'm sorry" instead.

"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." - I did some really repulsive shit, but I don't want to say how repulsive, so let's just call it "making people feel uncomfortable." Also, I'm really bummed that so many people are getting mad at me.

"The power dynamic that exists in venture capital is despicably unfair." - This isn't about me at all, guys. It's about The System. If I just start acknowledging and condemning structural violence, maybe I can get the focus of this off of me personally.

"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." - So let's talk about structural violence instead and how I'm just a cog in The System.

"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." - We all sin, OK?

"I am deeply ashamed of my lack of self-awareness." - If I had known everyone would get so fucking upset at me, I wouldn't have done those things. I hate it when people get mad at me.

"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." - I wish those women hadn't done that. I'm totally fucked now.

"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." - But enough about me, let's talk about The System instead. That's the real problem. In fact, me being a piece of shit and it being brought to light is good for these women. I did them a favor! Don't you see?

"I will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from Binary Capital, the firm I co-founded in 2014." - Like I said, I'm totally fucked now and my partners booted me out.

"I will be seeking professional counseling as I take steps to reflect on my behavior with and attitude towards women." - My wife is so fucking pissed, you don't even know. We're probably getting divorced now, so thanks for that.

"I will find ways to learn from this difficult experience - and to help drive necessary changes in the broader venture community." - I still don't really get what I did wrong, but since everyone is so mad at me, I guess I'd better try to figure out how to not make people mad at me again like that.

"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." - My partners are super pissed that I fucked their brand, and accordingly, their deal flow. Please don't take it out on them. They're not cool with what I did even though they probably knew about it.

"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." - I'm sorry I fucked everybody's shit up.

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

#224

Post by throwaway91111 »

vkou wrote: post #162
tptacek wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Caldbeck appears to have contradicted the firm's claim, harming their own credibility.

The firm claims he didn't do anything illegal. He hasn't copped up to the assaults, and since they were not employees, the texts may not necessarily have been illegal. Not entirely contradictory.

Yea but a terrible look for the firm.

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

#225

Post by mejari »

drewrv wrote: post #4
_m8fo wrote: post #2

In these situations how are things actually proved? Is it just a "he said, she said" situation? In any case, it's a bold move to go on record, though I'm curious what difference it actually makes. EDIT: Ah, it seems going on record is necessary to actually bring charges to someone.

In this case it's more of a "he said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said".

And now a "he also said", given his new statement admitting to the allegations.

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

#226

Post by rocqua »

_m8fo wrote: post #15
philip1209 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This article seems to indicate that multiple journalists were investigating these allegations, but couldn't go to press without sources: https://www.axios.com/pro-rata-2446752020.html One journalist got six sources, three on the record, and claims to have verified parts of the stories (such as reviewing message history on phones), which led him to have the confidence to go to press.

Right, I read that, but is it necessary to be publicly on the record? Couldn't the information be privately confirmed, protecting the women from retaliation and still allowing the case/accusation to move forward? It just seems like an unnecessary risk/vulnerability. Of course, there's also the fact that by going on the record you also encourage others to do the same, which is an immeasurable benefit.

Like stated higher up in the thread, non-testimonial proof is hard to come by in cases like this. Publishing a story with unnamed sources in such a case is very difficult to distinguish from a smear-campaign.

Not only does naming sources give more credibility, it also doesn't rely fully on the credibility of journalists. You can only say "it's true, just trust me" without being able to back it up so many times.

Testimony of anonymous sources are useful as corroboration, not as the main evidence. The sources here don't need to fear for their lives, nor are they able to produce documents to back up their claims.

I do not wish to diminish the courage that was needed to go on the record here. In fact, this is even more risky because hard evidence is so hard to come by in cases like this.

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

#227

Post by jsmthrowaway »

irpapakons wrote: post #214
anothercomment wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First, his initial statement sounds like that (like he is genuinely shocked that he is part of the problem after all). His updated statement might reflect his realization of the reality of what went down. He looks pretty attractive - maybe there were other cases were the women were also attracted to him. Maybe women also unconsciously flirted to make him more likely to give him money, and he misinterpreted. (No, wome…

You seem very passionate about defending alleged harassers. I just wonder what fuels that. Perhaps you think these events are not that bad, or some degree of inappropriate behaviour is ok?

This comment is a microcosm of 'ddoolin's point. Step back and read it a few times, and think about what you're saying: you've presented an alternative view from my own, so sexual harassment must be acceptable to you.

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

#229

Post by biocomputation »

anothercomment wrote: post #209
biocomputation wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> The accusations can be true, and at the same time it seems possible that the VC didn't take advantage of his "position of power", but genuinely believed the women liked him for his looks and personality, not because they needed his money. This type of behavior is about boundaries. Boundaries are about power. His behavior crossed what our culture generally says are the boundaries of a professional situation. That's…

People date in the workplace all the time, so I don't think your rules about "professional situations" are generally accepted. I also reject the notion of "position of power" just because he is a VC. Nobody is forced to take his money. You could just as well say the applying women are in a position of power because the VC desperately needs somebody to invest in. I guess a startup should avoid seeking investments wher…

First, a pitch meeting with a venture capitalist is generally accepted by our culture to be the kind of professional environment that is inappropriate to sexualize in any fashion. While I understand your basic point, you seem to be very interested in denying that there are many situations in life where notions and hints of sex and romance are just not appropriate.

* I hate to think that you might have trouble understanding this, but we're not talking about dating a co-worker. We're not talking about a pitch that didn't succeed followed by three months of radio silence followed by them meeting at a social event and realizing that they are attracted to each other.

* The mutual realization that you are attracted to a coworker is not the same as sexual harassment, it's not the same as being asked out by your manager, and it's not the same as receiving unwelcome sexual advances during a pitch meeting from a man who works at VC firm.

* Asking an available coworker out on a date, however unwise it may be depending on your place of employment and working relationships, is not the same as making remarks about her looks, clothes, or anatomy. It's not the same as denying her an investment or promotion because she rejected your advances.

I hope that clears things up for you.

>> But I reject the immediate interpretation of "man abusing his power to pressure women into sex".

Oh but that's exactly what this was. It was a man abusing his power to pressure women into sex.

>> Grabbing a knee under the table is of course not a good first move, but we might be missing context.

Grabbing the knee of someone you are not mutually involved with is not appropriate behavior in the workplace. Depending on the situation, it may be inappropriate even if you are mutually involved. But without mutual involvement, it's absolute inappropriate.

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

#230

Post by ddoolin »

mejari wrote: post #221
ddoolin wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps they see a trend of knee-jerk reactions to these kinds of cases where the defendant is presumed guilty before the entire story or evidence is out, or before any sort of due process occurs. I can see why someone would at least try, even weakly, to counteract this type of community pressure. I realize this isn't a legal matter at this point but I'm speaking of the principle(s) on which those features are based.…

The "defendant" has already admitted to the accusations and stepped down.

In this case, I agree in the sense it defeats the point I made above, but for various reasons others may continue to push back on that pressure on principal rather than on the facts of the matter.
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