Here is an article that I found on TechCrunch. Posting the link here just for sharing. No, I am still trying to make out what is happening, so I hold no opinion for now.
http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/15/julie-ann-horvath-describes...
Update on Julie Horvath's Departure
181–190 of 473 posts
Re: Update on Julie Horvath's Departure
#182Well Julie's story stinks. Let me just quote the last thigs she wrote and work backwards from that. "Two women, one of whom I work with and adore, and a friend of hers were hula hooping to some music. I didn’t have a problem with this. What I did have a problem with is the line of men sitting on one bench facing the hoopers and gawking at them. It looked like something out of a strip club. When I brought this up to m…
Sure, people can do what they want, but in a workplace there are (or should be) standards and codes of conduct that help inform employees how to behave in a way that doesn't poison the environment for others. So sure, if people want to watch that at home, then I guess that is their prerogative, but doing so at work doesn't seem productive or healthy for their (or any company's) community and culture.
Sure, but how does hula-hooping poison the environment? As far as we can tell, the women doing the hula-hooping were doing it for fun/exercise with no sexual intent, and the men watching just thought it was entertaining and not sexual. Then Julie comes along and complains that it's like a strip joint!?
Now I wasn't there and I have nothing to do with github, but that is just my take on it. It just sounds like Julie has some very strange ideas about sexual harassment. It seems to be her that is causing sexual harassment in the workplace if anything.
The whole thing is very weird, and neither Julie nor the Github management look very good.
Re: Update on Julie Horvath's Departure
#183This is the best response that could have ever been made, ever.
Re: Update on Julie Horvath's Departure
#184Earlier quoted context omitted.
Fair enough about the HR person (who probably acted in fear for their job), but how often does the co-founder of a very successful start up get put on leave within 24 hours of an article published on Techcrunch?
Have you considered the possibility that both parties are in the wrong? That Horvath does have something of a point, but she's massively overblown her experiences and read the wrong meaning into things? Life is stickier than tabloids lead you to believe, and in such a case as I've suggested, it's not hard to see the founders talking about how 'bob' should take a brief sabbatical while the Internet Hate Machine looks…
Spot on sir!
Re: Update on Julie Horvath's Departure
#185> We know we have to take action and have begun a full investigation. While that’s ongoing, and effective immediately, the relevant founder has been put on leave, as has the referenced GitHub engineer. Pretty much a full admission that everything that Julie said is true. This is great news, but putting these people on leave seems to be too nice. It's clear that these two people obey ethics that are in direct oppposit…
>> We know we have to take action and have begun a full investigation. While that’s ongoing, and effective immediately, the relevant founder has been put on leave, as has the referenced GitHub engineer.
>Pretty much a full admission that everything that Julie said is true.
Then I dub you Sir Bedemir, Knight of the Round Table.
Re: Update on Julie Horvath's Departure
#186Julie was banging a co-worker so why is she acting surprised when drama happened ? I don't get it.
I don't think it's fair to point to her relationship as the cause of this. I also think that, referring to her relationship as "banging a co-worker", may be an example of the kind of behaviour that creates an uncomfortable atmosphere for women in I.T.
Re: Update on Julie Horvath's Departure
#187Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pretty much a full admission that everything that Julie said is true. This is a terrible assumption to make. This line is basically saying "we're taking this seriously", because if they said anything less, then regardless of the truth of the matter, they'd be skinned alive. Ironically, it's knee-jerk black and white comments like yours that create this kind of press release. You've already convicted them in your mind…
A "full investigation" is the law in California when sexual harassment claims are made. It's not an admission of anything, it's just literally the law.
There were no sexual harassment claims.
Re: Update on Julie Horvath's Departure
#188That non-employee spouses are allowed on company property to the extent that the CEO has to acknowledge it (and put an end to it) smacks of an unprofessional environment. Ugh.
This is an extremely odd sentiment. Now, if said spouse is causing issues that interfere with work then by all means ban this person. But as a blanket rule that seems absurd.
Re: Update on Julie Horvath's Departure
#189Earlier quoted context omitted.
Quite the stretch you've outlined. But maybe "unsafe" could mean the exact things Horvath mentions happened to her like coworkers visiting her at her home to make advances.
Where are you reading that the coworker visited her at home? All I saw is, 'asked himself over to “talk"' in a context which implied to me that it took place at the office.
I guess that's a valid interpretation, but I'm still leaning toward the meaning that he was at her house.
Re: Update on Julie Horvath's Departure
#190Earlier quoted context omitted.
I didn't quite read the statement as saying the founder's wife had access to private repos. I just read it as saying that the founder's wife claimed to have access to private company communication, specifically chat logs only intended for github employees. But a statement clearing the concerns up would be nice.
You're right - the TechCrunch article didn't mention access to private repos - only private employee chatrooms. But the question was raised here on HN, asking if she did have access to private employee chatrooms what else might she or others have access to? If the security is lax in one area, one might assume it's lax in others as well. But it's just speculation - but it has merit non the less [edit: spelling]
There's no way to know unless someone comes out and says it explicitly, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that the aforementioned "spies" emailed specific chat logs to her. In a toxic environment, that kind of stuff gets passed around willy-nilly. That's the first conclusion I jumped to after reading the TechCrunch article, anyway.