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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

#291

Post by anotherfounder »

DelaneyM wrote: post #267
anotherfounder wrote: post #169

I really wish other founders would name and shame more, even if anonymously, but with examples. For most of the female founders who face these, there is no resource to turn to, to know who to avoid.

Honestly, it wouldn't make a difference. Some VCs are sleazy, but their money's still green. I know with certainty of at least two firms with predatory/creepy partners, but that wouldn't stop me from including them in a round. This behaviour is inappropriate, but it's not nearly as bad as what we learn to fend off at the average final club/frat party.

It would atleast give those founders an option - some agency. Atleast they would go in knowing what to expect and make that choice if it works for their situation.

I hope you'd consider naming those firms/partners, for the benefit of others.

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

#292

Post by Alex3917 »

munchbunny wrote: post #244
Alex3917 wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> that's still sexual harassment by the letter of the law and slimy as hell every other way. IANAL, but legally it's not sexual harassment because they don't work at the same company. Something is only sexual harassment in two cases: 1) a supervisor offers something to a subordinate in exchange for sexual favors 2) a company is found to have created a hostile work environment. In both cases it's the company that's li…

You are right that it's not illegal because it's not within the scope of a company. What I meant is that the EEOC decided to draw a line, and aside from the "in the context of a company" requirement, the behavior in the stories I've heard definitely crosses that line rather than just being an uncomfortable and sketchy situation. I would argue however, that because VC's are holding the money and entrepreneurs are tryi…

> I would argue however, that because VC's are holding the money and entrepreneurs are trying to raise, it might not be as bad as a boss/employee power dynamic, but the power is certainly held by the VC in the situation.

- The vast majority of highly successful companies don't raise venture. VCs need equity, entrepreneurs don't need money.

- The vast majority of companies that raise VC don't succeed.

- The vast majority of VC funds have lower than market returns.

I think the real situation is more that a lot of inexperienced founders glom onto VCs because they think that not having money is what's keeping them from succeeding.

There is also a common belief that the fact that VCs are predominantly male is creating a power imbalance that's keeping women from being more successful, despite the fact that the empirical evidence from other industries seemingly shows that there isn't much correlation between the sex of the gatekeepers and who they choose to back. E.g. LP is pretty gender balanced and most VCs are male, most literary agents and publishers are female but most published authors are male, etc. If there were more female VCs then it's possible that more women would get funded, but I think right now that theory is more of a truthclaim than anything else.

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

#293

Post by anotherfounder »

rocqua wrote: post #236
anotherfounder wrote: post #169

I really wish other founders would name and shame more, even if anonymously, but with examples. For most of the female founders who face these, there is no resource to turn to, to know who to avoid.

Such systems are either signed, and thus barely used, or anonymous and thus easily exploited. Journalists that could speak with people at length and confirm the story by further research still weren't willing to publish based on anonymous sources. This is in part because anonymous accusations can be a great tool in a defamation campaign. Furthermore, publishing anonymous claims without due-diligence discredits future…

I don't believe this is an un-solvable problem. I do think that having closed lists/groups where this can be made public is also an option - like say, Female Founders group. People can also be encouraged to share the experience and the judgement can be made by those reading it.

It is useful data that, unfortunately, too few of us are aware of, and are thus condemned to the same fate.

I am fundraising, and wish I knew which sleazy firms/investors to not waste my time with.

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

#294

Post by staticautomatic »

zaphar wrote: post #283
staticautomatic wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're asking how the apology would sound coming from someone who understood what he had done?

Yyes, he is asking exactly that.

"I am deeply sorry for using my position as an investor to take advantage of the female founders who came to me and my firm seeking only our help and support. What I did was cruel and wrong. The harm I've done to myself, my firm, my reputation, and my family does not compare to the harm I did these women. As a man, I will never truly understand what it feels like to be the victim of these transgressions. I can only say how sorry I am, commit to getting the help I need to change, and hope that some day I may be able to make amends."

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

#295

Post by eropple »

braveo wrote: post #259
irpapakons wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree my reply was not helpful, but there was a point I was trying to make: Sometimes people who are keen to defend harassers might do so because they exhibit similar behaviours themselves or hold similar beliefs and want to defend themselves. Here is an example from this very story: Caldbeck tweeted in support of Uber: "Also mob mentality w @Uber right now. Guilty before proven innocent on everything". I genuinely…

or they do so because they've gotten seriously tired of the unfairness of it all. When everything becomes sexual harassment, how can you trust accusations of sexual harassment? It's like when people use the word violence to describe words, or call it rape when a man says something they don't like. How can you trust the allegations in that sort of an environment? It makes those of us who are a bit more moderate start…

"Everything" hasn't become sexual harassment. I've dated coworkers. I have been rebuffed by coworkers. I have even been under the impression that a coworker might be into me who was not. And--somehow--I have not been accused of sexual harassment. Maybe because I am respectful in my approach, cut it out if it's not appreciated, and never persist past being rebuffed.

The "misunderstandings" about which you wring your hands are weaponized against women in the spirit of "don't be hysterical". You're not being moderate when you express viewpoints like this. You're just rationalizing bad shit. And, judging from your sterling work throughout this thread, you know it, too.

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

#297

Post by dang »

itsucks wrote: post #252

1. We vote for Trump 2. We sexually harass women 3. We think Jesus had superpowers 4. We are racist 5. We despise the poor Yes it sucks to be me when I'm none of those things but that's what my people are known for.

Please don't do this here.

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

#298

Post by johnny22 »

FT_intern wrote: post #179
bobabooey02 wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speaking of one group is not ignoring the other. Nobody said that sexual harassment against men is okay. It's okay to recognize that social norms affect the genders asymmetrically and structure language around that.

Engaging in identity politics opens up pandora's box :). Men have a more difficult time obtaining social, emotional and physical intimacy with other people (in both romantic and platonic contexts). For the purely romantic context, there is a huge disparity in the required effort to obtain intimacy in a romantic relationship. Women can obtain intimacy and have a very successful romantic life without making any advance…

> A man will have a very unsuccessful romantic life if he never makes any advances.

#NotAllMen But seriously. I'd like to talk more about this in a different setting. This sentiment rang true for me before I got out of high school. After that, it mattered much less.

> Society fails men on the social/physical/emotional intimacy front.

We failed ourselves. This article rang all too true. https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/megasahd-the-lac...

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

#299

Post by [deleted] »

kafkaesq wrote: post #246
xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What? Anyone can be sexually harassed by anyone else, workplace has nothing to do with it. Sexual harassment in the workplace is egregious because the conflict of interests. E.g. my boss harasses me, but if I complain I jeopardize my livelihood.

workplace has nothing to do with it. Unfortunately this isn't true, from a legal point of view; in many jurisdictions, the legal definition of SH is specifically tailored (and constrained) to "the workplace". Mind you I'm not talking about what's "slimy", "invasive", or what infringes on one's natural rights as a human being or anything about that. But rather, the legal definition . Which doesn't always jibe with wha…

[deleted]

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

#300

Post by fatbird »

niniane wrote: post #43
_m8fo wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I am one of the three women who went on the record with my name: Niniane Wang. I initially asked to be anonymous, but no reporter would publish unless they had named sources. I knew that Justin was continuing to harass women. Using my name was the only way to stop him. In other words, yes, it was necessary to be publicly on the record.

It matters that you went public. It shouldn't require you to go public for it to matter, but it does, and so it does.
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