Sexist Presentations At Startup Competition Prompt TechCrunch Apology

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Sexist Presentations At Startup Competition Prompt TechCrunch Apology

Posted by samzenpus on Monday September 9, 2013 @01:37AM from the lets-try-this-again dept.

beaverdownunder writes "Silicon Valley technology conference organizers TechCrunch have been forced to apologize after two Australian men pitched a smartphone app called "Titstare" in front of a nine-year-old girl. The Sydney duo's presentation had the mainly male audience laughing, but angered Twitter users and reignited a debate about sexism in the technology sector. The two entrepreneurs — Jethro Batts, 28, and David Boulton, 24 — pitched their 'tongue in cheek' idea at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco on Sunday after winning expenses for the trip to the US in a similar competition, AngelHack Sydney. In their pitch, Boulton explained to an audience of hundreds (plus thousands online) that it would allow users to 'take photos of yourself, looking at tits'. 'It's science my good friend, science,' Boulton said. TechCrunch also apologized for another pitch for a product called Circle Shake, in which a man simulated masturbation."

4 of 762 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Re:Should have done it on MTV by catfood · 2013-09-09 01:50 · Score: 5, Informative

Try to keep up. Feminist blogs were full of criticism of that performance. I realize that ruins your little rant and your fantasy of persecution, but there it is.
About the 9 year old girl by schneidafunk · 2013-09-09 02:00 · Score: 4, Informative

Here is her story and app.

--
Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
Re:Congratulations by LordLimecat · 2013-09-09 02:18 · Score: 3, Informative

How do we stop racism? Stop talking about it.
--Morgan freeman
Same for sexism. Stop getting outraged and making a huge fuss over it, and get over it. People say things that are offensive around me all the time, but my getting outraged wouldnt really change much.
Re:eh? by stdarg · 2013-09-09 03:00 · Score: 5, Informative

Well, you're wrong, so that's the end of your line of reasoning.
Case in point, I was watching UK X-Factor this weekend and one of the hosts (Nicole Scherzinger) acted inappropriately when a 17 year old boy began yodeling. She acted overtly flirtatious towards him, started swaying and dancing and touching herself suggestively and commented on his looks (calling him hot, delicious, etc). Her comments and her "female gaze" and the disparity in power (host vs contenstant, age, social status, etc) made the whole thing very objectifying.
As far as I know, nobody has made a big deal of it.
Now if one of the male judges acted the same way towards an underage female contestant, it would be an outrage and accusations of sexism and pedophilia would fly about.