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6 Female Founders Accuse VC Justin Caldbeck of Making Unwanted Advances (techcrunch.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Yesterday The Information reported on allegations made by half a dozen women working in the tech industry who say they have faced unwanted and inappropriate advances from Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Justin Caldbeck, co-founder and managing partner of Binary Capital. The women include Niniane Wang, co-creator of Google Desktop and a prior CTO of Minted; and Susan Ho and Leiti Hsu, co-founders of Journy, a travel planning and booking service. The Information also talked to three other women who said Caldbeck made inappropriate advances to them. It says these women did not want their names disclosed for fear of retaliation from the VC -- and because of wider concerns they might suffer a backlash from men in the industry who don't see inappropriate advances as a problem. Among the allegations made to The Information are that Caldbeck sent explicit text messages to women; that Caldbeck sent messages in the middle of the night suggesting meeting up; that Caldbeck suggested going to a hotel bedroom during a meeting; that Caldbeck made a proposition about having an open relationship; and that Caldbeck grabbed a woman's thigh under the table of a bar during a meeting. Several of the women reported finding Caldbeck's advances so awkward they gave up on continued dealings with him. In Caldbeck's initial statement, he "strongly" denied the allegations and claimed: "I have always enjoyed respectful relationships with female founders, business partners, and investors." However, in response to The Information's story, his tone changed significantly: "Obviously, I am deeply disturbed by these allegations. While significant context is missing from the incidents reported by The Information, I deeply regret ever causing anyone to feel uncomfortable. The fact is that I have been privileged to have worked with female entrepreneurs throughout my career and I sincerely apologize to anyone who I made uncomfortable by my actions. There's no denying this is an issue in the venture community, and I hate that my behavior has contributed to it." Caldbeck has since released a full statement to Axios, where he says he "will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from Binary Capital..."
Or more likely their unfamiliarity with American culture us why they mistook his pleasanteries for unwanted advances. That's why foreigners should stay on the other side of the wall.
Among the allegations made to The Information are that Caldbeck sent explicit text messages to women; that Caldbeck sent messages in the middle of the night suggesting meeting up; that Caldbeck suggested going to a hotel bedroom during a meeting; that Caldbeck made a proposition about having an open relationship; and that Caldbeck grabbed a woman’s thigh under the table of a bar during a meeting.
Yep. Just pleasantries.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
There's no need for proof. He has admitted it. Read the story again - it's been updated. So much for your racist powers of deduction.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
We're not talking about rape. Nobody's accused him of that.
What he's accused of is making advances towards women over whom he exercised some form of power. If you don't understand why that's wrong, then you're part of the problem.
Given the fact he's already resigned his position and published a not-quite-apology/not-quite-admission, it would seem that *the allegations that were actually made* have some basis in fact.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
3 comments, all critical of the women for complaining.
Those sounds mostly like anons but you are right that there are some men on slashdot that seem to be uncomfortable with the prospect of working side-by-side with women. I condemn them and their old world view.
And you know why? Because increasingly, if I meet a jerkass man in my workplace then there's so much he can do, AND I can fight back, but if I meet a jerkass woman in a workplace then all she has to do is wrongly accuse me of sexual harassment, and presumption of innocence goes right out of the window, as does any need to provide any actual evidence, even if I avoid being thrown right into jail I'll be fired and unhireable. And possibly lynched by an angry SJW mob if she generates enough attention. Just for not tiptoeing the line for some alpha bitch.
Don't know if he stepped out of line? Did you even read the summary, much less follow the links? He apologized in a way that strongly hints that the allegations were true.
Such as these sentences from his statement, "I have made many mistakes over the course of my career, some of which were brought to light this week. ... 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. 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."
Now if he's serious about this and not just placating HR, then I give him far greater credit than to the bros who instantly jump to his defence.
You need to get out more. He most certainly admitted it:
A prominent venture capitalist admitted to sexually harassing women in the tech industry, saying he leveraged his “position of power in exchange for sexual gain” in the latest discrimination and misconduct scandal to rock Silicon Valley.
Justin Caldbeck announced on Friday that he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from Binary Capital, the firm he co-founded, following the claims of six women who accused the 40-year-old of making unwanted advances, often in the context of potential business deals.
The power dynamic that exists in venture capital is despicably unfair,” he said in his statement. “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 what is "position of power for sexual gain" again? And exactly what role did he play? Seek and ye shall find.
But after the story spread in Silicon Valley, Caldbeck reversed his position and issued a direct apology to the three women named in the article and “to the greater tech ecosystem, a community that I have utterly failed”.
He also said he was “deeply ashamed” of his lack of self-awareness and would seek professional counseling:
You don't seek professional help if you've done nothing wrong.
Also notice how different this is from his original blanket denial: In the original piece, Caldbeck said:
“I strongly deny the Information’s attacks on my character. The fact is, I have always enjoyed respectful relationships with female founders, business partners, and investors.”
He denied it. Now he admits he needs to get help for it.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Here's the thing, after you graduate college, there are no more "social situations". There is work, and home. If you are single, home is empty. So your choices for meeting women post-college are basically: 1: Flirt with what few women you encounter at work, you know women with similar education, professional standing, and interest in your field; or 2: Online dating I ended up using option 2 and it worked well for me, but it seems very wrong to take option 1 completely off the table. Now you shouldn't be leveraging power over women, but are you saying any man who becomes successful/powerful has to become a monk? Hell the whole point of becoming successful/powerful is to make yourself attractive to women.