sexualharassment
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Microsoft improves transparency for sexual harassment claims
The slew of sexual harassment disclosures in the entertainment business has started to influence the technology world, and Microsoft in particular sees this as an opportunity to rethink its policies. It's waiving the requirement for pre-dispute arbitration agreements in sexual harassment claims, which could keep complaints out of court and thus out of the public eye. The company already didn't enforce an arbitration clause relating to sexual harassment, but now wants to eliminate that obligation for the "limited number" of workers who would be affected.
Richard Branson is Virgin Hyperloop One’s new chairman (updated)
Earlier this month, Virgin Hyperloop One co-founder Shervin Pishevar took a leave of absence from the company and his venture capital firm Sherpa Capital following allegations of sexual harassment and a November arrest for rape that didn't result in a charge. Now, Axios reports that Hyperloop One has a new chairman -- Richard Branson.
Facebook reveals how it handles harassment inside US offices
Facebook has been publicly searching for a solution to harassment, hate speech and bullying on the site for years -- and at the same time, less publicly, the company has been honing its internal approach to these subjects. Today, Facebook published its US harassment policy, in full, in an attempt to "be as transparent as possible, share best practices, and learn from one another -- recognizing that policies will evolve as we gain experience," according to COO Sheryl Sandberg and VP of People Lori Goler.
Amazon’s ‘Transparent’ hasn’t cut ties with Jeffrey Tambor yet
Last month, following accusations of sexual assault, Transparent actor Jeffrey Tambor released a statement that made it seem like he would be leaving the show. "Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don't see how I can return to Transparent," Tambor said. And while he has stated that he regrets if anything he did in the past was misinterpreted as aggressive, he has denied any purposeful wrongdoing. "The idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue," Tambor said in a statement. However, the New York Times reports today that Tambor's departure is far from certain and the show is currently operating under a very unclear future.
Hyperloop One co-founder steps down amid sexual harassment claims
Silicon Valley's sexual harassment problem just keeps going. Forbes reports that Shervin Pishevar, founder of Sherpa Capital and Hyperloop (and an early Uber investor), is taking a leave of absence from both companies, just a few days after allegations of sexual harassment from five women were reported by Bloomberg.
Netflix cancels Louis C.K.’s second stand up special
Yesterday, the New York Times published a report on Louis C.K. that detailed numerous allegations of sexual misconduct being brought against the comic. And as Variety reports, Netflix is now joining HBO and film distributor Orchard in cutting ties with C.K.
New Kevin Spacey accusations come from 'House of Cards' crew
Earlier this week, Netflix announced that the next (sixth) season of its show House of Cards would be its last -- and then suspended production -- when allegations emerged of sexual harassment by lead actor Kevin Spacey. Today, eight people who worked on the show told CNN that Spacey repeatedly sexually harassed people on set, and one said that the actor sexually assaulted him.
Twitter's new hate and violence policies go into effect November 22nd
Just a couple of weeks ago, Twitter's CEO Jack Dorsey responded to the #WomenBoycotTwitter movement on his company's microblogging platform with a promise to help Twitter "take a more aggressive stance" toward hate speech and sexual harassment. A few days after that, an internal email showed that the company was taking the promises seriously and widening its crackdown on violent groups and abusive content. The company just tweeted that its new policies will launch on November 22nd.
#MeToo becomes a rallying cry for survivors of sexual assault
Yesterday, a campaign geared towards demonstrating just how common sexual assault and harassment are began to spread on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Alongside the hashtag #MeToo, women began posting their own stories of harassment in response to a prompt by Alyssa Milano.
Amazon suspends studio head over sexual harassment allegations
Amazon has suspended the exec in charge of its film and TV unit after a producer accused him of sexual harassment. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Isa Dick Hackett (daughter of sci-fi author Phillip K. Dick) claimed Roy Price made inappropriate sexual advances towards her at Comic-Con two years ago. Hours after the article went live, Amazon said its exec "is on leave of absence effective immediately." Hackett serves as the producer on two of Amazon's adaptations of her late father's works: TV show The Man in the High Castle and anthology series Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams.
Ex-Uber employee fights for workers’ right to pursue class-action
Susan Fowler, the ex-Uber engineer who called out the company's sexual harassment problem in a blog post earlier this year, has now focused her attention towards the Supreme Court. With her attorney, she has filed an amicus brief in support of workers involved in three consolidated cases that will be heard by the high court. The cases all center on whether companies like Uber should be able to stipulate that employees are barred from joining class-action lawsuits against the company and instead must pursue resolutions through private arbitration.
Uber hires a VP to fix its toxic company culture
Despite its incredibly high userbase, a string of controversies has led to what can only be described as a pretty terrible year for Uber. Now, just a few months after its employees left the company in droves, the successful ride-hailing company has recruited a new executive to save its sinking ship. After a former employee spoke out about sexual harassment at the company, Uber launched an investigation into its workplace culture, calling in Frances Frei, an expert on gender equality from Harvard Business School. Now, Frei has joined the successful tech startup full time, taking a role as Uber's Senior Vice President of Leadership & Strategy.
Marine Corps guidelines now ban online sexual harassment
The US Marine Corps has already started to crack down on soldiers sharing nude photos of women soldiers through internet groups, but it now has a better way of tackling this behavior. The military branch has published updated guidelines that explicitly forbid various forms of online sexual harassment, including "indecent viewing, visual recording, or broadcasting." Marines represent the Corps and their units "at all times," and that includes when they post on social networks.
Uber's SVP of engineering resigns amid allegations of sexual harassment
Uber's highly regarded SVP of engineering Amit Singhal has been asked to leave the company after reports emerged that he was involved in a sexual harassment case while he was still employed at Google. According to Recode, Singhal was with Uber for about a year before the site informed Uber of the allegations against him this week. Singhal, who was regarded as a powerful figure within the search giant, failed to disclose the reasons for his departure to his new employer and Uber claims their own background checks didn't catch the accusations against him.
Uber's credibility crisis is getting harder to avoid
The latest ripple effect from recent reports of ingrained sexism within Uber is that the engineer who originally wrote about them now says someone is trying to dig up dirt on her. Susan Fowler tweeted that "Research for the smear campaign has begun," and many eyes have turned towards her former employer, which has said it is investigating the claims. A spokesperson for Uber told Recode's Johana Bhuiyan that the company "is in no way involved" and that "this is wrong." The only problem there is a lack of credibility rooted in Uber's history.
Investors and employees aren't buying Uber's sexism 'probe'
Nobody was terribly surprised by revelations from former engineer Susan Fowler about a sexist, bro-centric Uber culture that protects "high performer" employees. And many folks aren't impressed by CEO Travis Kalanick's investigation into the matter by company lawyer Eric Holder and board member Arianna Huffington. During a secretly recorded meeting with Kalanick and more than 100 female engineers (obtained by Buzzfeed), employees said they don't need Holder to tell them sexual harassment problems at the company are "systemic."
Uber CEO reveals details on sexual harassment investigation
A former Uber engineer's blog post that blew up online did more than just shame the company into finally investigating her long-ignored sexual harassment allegations. It has also forced the ride-sharing service to take a look at its diversity numbers. In a memo sent out to employees earlier, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has revealed that he and new Chief HR Officer Liane Hornsey are working on publishing the company's first diversity report in the next few months. While diversity reports are common in the tech industry, it's out of the norm for Uber, which is still a private entity.
Hashtags help survivors break their silence
Last Friday, the Washington Post revealed a video recorded in 2005 of Donald Trump and Access Hollywood co-host Billy Bush engaged in a lewd and crass discussion about women. Caught on a hot mic, Trump said that he can grab women "by the pussy," that he starts kissing them without waiting for consent and that he can get away with it because he's a "star." Trump has since come under fire for his remarks, not just because they are vulgar, but because what he is describing is sexual assault.
Report: Apple is a sexist, toxic work environment
Apple made improving its employee diversity a focal point in recent years -- but the company is still dominated by men. Women only make up 32 percent of its total workforce, and that imbalance has reportedly manifested itself in some very ugly ways. Mic has obtained a number of emails from female Apple employees and prospective employees, and their comments paint a picture of a sexist workplace in which women face discrimination, harassment and a "toxic" work environment.
'Dead or Alive' VR is basically sexual assault, the game
PlayStation VR is going to launch with a game that allows players to sexually assault a woman who is actively asking them to stop. Yes, that's exactly as gross as it sounds and yes, of course the game is Dead or Alive Xtreme 3. The game's virtual reality update is slated to launch on the same day as PlayStation VR, and features a handful of experiences designed to let players ogle the female body. A video from Gamer.ne.jp shows that one of these game modes features active harassment -- allowing a player to continually touch a woman who is verbally protesting.
