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Interview with Susan Fowler

nytimes.com

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Re: Interview with Susan Fowler

#31

Post by spamizbad »

fjsolwmv wrote: post #22
spamizbad wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, you're over-simplifying this by assuming we can resolve a humanitarian issue with a war. We can't. Even conservatives like Steve Bannon know this. The Iraq War plus its aftermath has a death toll approaching 1 million, 1/6th the size of the Holocaust. Conflict with North Korea will be even worse.

You are catastrophically underestimating the size of the Holocaust. 6 million is only the Jews murdered by Nazi operations. Another 5+ million non Jews were murdered, plus, since we're comparing follow-on effects of war, many more millions of military fighters and civilians bombed.

Very true. Thanks for pointing this out.

Re: Interview with Susan Fowler

#32

Post by baron816 »

I think the one good thing about the Harvey Weinstein scandal is that it has brought to light that the issue of sexual harassment is not just a Silicon Valley problem, it's a problem that is almost universal in our country. I've written here several times here that articles similar to this one are more likely to backfire as they help perpetuate the idea that the tech industry is hostile to women and they should stay away. I've been thinking the best way to eliminate sexism in tech is to bring more women in to the industry. But hopefully, this increased awareness throughout the country will bring it to an end, not just in tech, but in every sector of the economy.

Re: Interview with Susan Fowler

#33

Post by combatentropy »

baron816 wrote: post #16

> “Did you read that interview with the C.E.O., Travis, where he talked about how Uber helps him get girls? He’s a misogynist. I could never use his product.” I know nothing of the interview he’s referring to here, but how is it misogynistic to use your company to get girls? Was he picking up Uber employees or potential hires?

It's the difference between loving someone and using them.

Re: Interview with Susan Fowler

#34

Post by spamizbad »

adamnemecek wrote: post #27
spamizbad wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, you're over-simplifying this by assuming we can resolve a humanitarian issue with a war. We can't. Even conservatives like Steve Bannon know this. The Iraq War plus its aftermath has a death toll approaching 1 million, 1/6th the size of the Holocaust. Conflict with North Korea will be even worse.

Iraq war Was fundamentally different. NK is extremely hierarchical, once the leadership is removed, the country can be reconstructed much easier. I can't say I care about Seth Bannons opinion.

China, who knows them best, seems to disagree. Otherwise they would have taken care of the Kim family years ago.

There were similar "this is different! It will be easy!" arguments made for Iraq as well, especially when people suggested it could be like Vietnam (in the quagmire sense, not US causalities sense)

Re: Interview with Susan Fowler

#36

Post by atomical »

philsnow wrote: post #13

Susan Fowler's narrative is sort of the "dual" of the myth of the "little dutch boy" who stuck his finger in a dyke, preventing disaster through a very small act. [0] http://www.pantheon.org/articles/l/little_dutch_boy.html

I enjoyed reading that, but why did the boy put his finger in the hole if he was worried about being late to school?

Re: Interview with Susan Fowler

#37

Post by rockinghigh »

solidsnack9000 wrote: post #5

Her background is pretty non-traditional. Such people tend to be independent and consequently have a lot of integrity -- they do the career destroying things that almost nobody does. The only woman on the board then, Arianna Huffington, who had vowed that the culture of “brilliant jerks” must end, had been trying to help Mr. Kalanick by advising him to sleep more and meditate. But he caused another kerfuffle when he…

Why would they have a lot of integrity? From what I heard, she actually exaggerated some events.

Re: Interview with Susan Fowler

#38

Post by bogomipz »

I wish the article connected the dots of her path from studying physics at the University of Pennsylvania to working as an SRE at a San Francisco tech company. It seems like that might be an interesting part of her story.

I loved the anecdote of her buying her own leather jacket when Uber couldn't be bothered to buy them for women. Brilliant.

The title is a bit unfortunate in that it makes her sound like an Attorney General but that's nothing to with her but the NY Time's Maureen Dowd who has a penchant for sensational titles.

Re: Interview with Susan Fowler

#39

Post by meddlepal »

6841iam wrote: post #3

While her post did send shockwaves inside Uber and the Silicon Valley at large, I think, it was Mr. Kalanick's incriminating involvement in the Waymo - Uber lawsuit that ultimately sunk Mr. Kalanick. He simply had to go.

Susan's a great mind and I have had the pleasure of chatting with her in person, but there is definitely some historical revisionism going on here.

Travis created a bad Uber culture in general. He was done in not by Fowler specifically but the fruits of his failures as a leader blossoming into several parallel disasters of which Waymo was probably the major major fiasco of the bunch.

Re: Interview with Susan Fowler

#40

Post by atomical »

fjsolwmv wrote: post #26

What ar we creating celebrities out of people who blogged about their experiences? She made a courageous public statement. Should she get to move forwards in her chosen technical career with this shadow behind her, or must she be turned into a social crusader? That weirdly distorts incentives of behavior.

How is someone else doing this to her? I assume she allowed this interview to take place.
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