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Tech Boss Attacks 'Whiners' in Angry Email (bbc.com) 287

An anonymous reader shares a report: The co-founder of a Silicon Valley investment firm said it is "not my job to make you all feel good" in a long email to staff and investors. Jonathan Teo from Binary Capital was responding to negative press coverage about the firm following allegations of sexual harassment by his co-founder Justin Caldbeck. He added that he was "tired and indignant," and raged against "whiners" who demanded his attention. Mr Teo has already offered to resign. He did so after Mr Caldbeck left the firm in June. "I'm incredibly sorry," Mr Caldbeck tweeted when the news broke last month. Mr Caldbeck's actions were one of several sexism scandals to rock Silicon Valley in recent months. They include a damning report into the work culture inside ride-hailing firm Uber, and the resignation of venture capitalist Dave McClure, who admitted "inexcusable behaviour" towards "multiple women."
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Tech Boss Attacks 'Whiners' in Angry Email

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  • Read the TFA... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by __aaclcg7560 ( 824291 ) on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @11:28AM (#54786295)
    This guy is whining about whiners. I guess he's looking for cheese to go with his whine.
  • by elrous0 ( 869638 ) on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @11:32AM (#54786347)

    This guy isn't accused of doing anything wrong. The guy who *was* accused has resigned. Right?

    So why is it this guy's job to constantly apologize for the actions of someone he had no control over and who has already been forced out of the firm? It's not his fucking fault his former partner was an asshole.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Obviously not. It directly falls on him, where else would it go? He was either ignorant of his business partner or accepting, either way, this certainly falls in his lap. Acting indignant later does not change this.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      So why is it this guy's job to constantly apologize for the actions of someone he had no control over and who has already been forced out of the firm?

      Because he's the CEO. That's exactly his job, along with a large dose of, "Here's how we're going to make sure this never, ever is permitted to happen again here...." And also to take care of his employees and clients and make them feel emotionally good about working there and investing with them. That's. His. Job.

      And his outright hostility towards the notion of a woman filling his job, covered up under a pathetic excuse of "we need the best person period" platitude, shows he is as much of the problem

      • I'm betting the only thing keeping this place's funds open is lack of liquidity.

        Anybody expecting rounds to be funded there in the future is going to face disappointment. Which will suck for those female clients that did 'suck'...you know there were some.

        It's now just a holding company, while the process unwinds.

  • by Kergan ( 780543 ) on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @11:32AM (#54786351)

    "If you were teaching PR 101 this guy has just done everything possible wrong. He has insulted clients, he has insulted investors, he has insulted employees and he has insulted the media.

  • by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @11:35AM (#54786395)

    Sexual harassment isn't whining, it's a fucking legal issue.

    If he can't deal with issues in his company he doesn't need to get permission to resign, he needs to stop whining himself and just fucking quit.

  • by mishehu ( 712452 ) on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @11:41AM (#54786465)
    I could swear this site is getting more and more like those rags you see on the shelf at the supermarket checkout lines. Quick, better go buy a copy of Us or the National Enquirer!
  • It is your job (Score:5, Insightful)

    by whoever57 ( 658626 ) on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @11:46AM (#54786521) Journal

    As the head of this company, it is his job to motivate employees. Otherwise known as "making them feel good".

    This is yet another child with money.

  • ... he says. In the whiniest way possible.

  • David Bonderman has made a career of succesfully turning around many failing companies. He has made billions buying struggling companies and re-working their operations and building them into successful companies. He's one of the few "good" venture capitalists out there who actually puts money to work rebuilding failing companies instead of just stripping their assets. He's one of the few people who could have figured out how to save Uber. He made one sarcastic comment and gets some controversy and he j

    • Do we need Uber? It has plenty of competition ready to step up with better leadship and higher ethical standards.

  • From TFA:

    "If you were teaching PR 101 this guy has just done everything possible wrong. He has insulted clients, he has insulted investors, he has insulted employees and he has insulted the media.

    Next, he'll be running for President.

  • I read his response as "I'm incredibly sorry ... that someone called me out on bad behavior."
  • Thanks to political correctness, you can't even comment about someone "looking nice" anymore without being written up. Women, those wanting to climb the corporate ladder at any cost, will do ANYTHING to get themselves "noticed", going so far as to make allegations against a coworker. The problem with sexual harassment is that unless you have proof, it's a he said she said issue. But, with the Gloria Allreds of the world waiting for a chance to pounce on a microphone & camera, and, the media looking for
    • by marcle ( 1575627 )

      Thanks to political correctness, you can't even comment about someone "looking nice" anymore without
      being written up. Women, those wanting to climb the corporate ladder at any cost, will do ANYTHING to
      get themselves "noticed", going so far as to make allegations against a coworker.
      The problem with sexual harassment is that unless you have proof, it's a he said she said issue.
      But, with the Gloria Allreds of the world waiting for a chance to pounce on a microphone & camera, and,
      the media looking for another "juicy" story to help cover the 24/7 news cycle, it turns into a political circus.

      I assume you're a guy. How often do you tell another guy that he's "looking nice"?

      • Thanks to political correctness, you can't even comment about someone "looking nice" anymore without
        being written up. Women, [blah blah blah].

        I assume you're a guy. How often do you tell another guy that he's "looking nice"?

        When he wants to harass somebody for wearing cargo shorts, presumably.

      • I assume you're a guy. How often do you tell another guy that he's "looking nice"?

        Every now and then. And like with women, it's completely non-sexual. Women do it too.

        Now try this one: how often do men run around in a professional context with their chests visible, or with codpieces, or in tight short pants, or with makeup? That sort of thing seems to be acceptable for women, but it is not acceptable for men. Double standard?

    • Mostly it is career suicide to complain. Even if it is justified, everyone still walks around on eggshells past the person who complained, they realize no one trusts them anymore, and leave. The only exceptions seem to be when the harasser is so well known around the office as one that when someone finally complains everybody and their brother knows someone else who had been harassed and everyone shrugs and says "good thing they finally got rid of that person, they're a creep". Still haven't seen it resu

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