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Tinder's sexual harassment scandal is not a surprise. It's another wake-up call Tinder's sexual harassment scandal is not a surprise. It's another wake-up call
(about 2 months later)
It is not a good time to be a sexist-in-chief.It is not a good time to be a sexist-in-chief.
Tuesday, after the news broke that the dating app Tinder was being sued for sexual harassment by a former marketing vice president (and other reputed co-founder), the company's co-founder, Justin Mateen, was suspended pending an investigation. His ouster comes on the heels of a handful of other cases wherein the heads of tech companies have been accused of harassment, abuse and well, being irredeemable sexists. Is the age of the dudebro over? Tuesday, after the news broke that the dating app Tinder was being sued for sexual harassment by a former marketing vice president (and other reputed co-founder), the company's co-founder, Justin Mateen, was suspended pending an investigation. His ouster comes on the heels of a handful of other cases wherein the heads of tech companies have been accused of harassment, abuse and well, being irredeemable sexists. Is the age of the dudebro over?
Whitney Wolfe's lawsuit accuses Mateen of stripping her of a co-founder title because she was a young "girl" who "makes the company look like a joke" – and alleges that he called her a "whore", "gold-digger" and a "disease". (Wolfe also claims that a friend of Mateen and Tinder CEO Sean Rad spat in her face when she tried to leave a party.) Wolfe, who says in the suit that she had a romantic relationship with Mateen that ended, included abusive texts that she said were from him as part of her complaint. Tinder's parent company, IAC, suspended Mateen but said that they believe Wolfe's allegations are "unfounded".Whitney Wolfe's lawsuit accuses Mateen of stripping her of a co-founder title because she was a young "girl" who "makes the company look like a joke" – and alleges that he called her a "whore", "gold-digger" and a "disease". (Wolfe also claims that a friend of Mateen and Tinder CEO Sean Rad spat in her face when she tried to leave a party.) Wolfe, who says in the suit that she had a romantic relationship with Mateen that ended, included abusive texts that she said were from him as part of her complaint. Tinder's parent company, IAC, suspended Mateen but said that they believe Wolfe's allegations are "unfounded".
It's a predictable response from Tinder and its parent company, but one that may fail to quell the firestorm around tech companies in general over their apparent misogyny and lack of diversity .It's a predictable response from Tinder and its parent company, but one that may fail to quell the firestorm around tech companies in general over their apparent misogyny and lack of diversity .
But if Silicon Valley history is any indication, Tinder might be able to rest easy. Take the case of the founder of the ad platform RadiumOne, Gurbaksh Chahal, who was videotaped hitting and kicking his girlfriend 117 times in the course of a half hour. He pled guilty to two misdemeanors and, after expressing support for him privately, Chahal's company terminated his employment. RadiumOne, though, has since partnered with Condé Nast. But if Silicon Valley history is any indication, Tinder might be able to rest easy. Take the case of the founder of the ad platform RadiumOne, Gurbaksh Chahal, who was videotaped hitting and kicking his girlfriend117 times in the course of a half hour. He pled guilty to two misdemeanors and, after expressing support for him privately, Chahal's company terminated his employment. RadiumOne, though, has since partnered with Condé Nast.
Molly Lambert at Grantland, in an article called No Country for Old Pervs, says that other allegation of harassment and abuse – like those surrounding photographer Terry Richardson and ousted American Apparel CEO Dov Charney – signal a real moment in the way we view issues of sexual harassment in the workplace:Molly Lambert at Grantland, in an article called No Country for Old Pervs, says that other allegation of harassment and abuse – like those surrounding photographer Terry Richardson and ousted American Apparel CEO Dov Charney – signal a real moment in the way we view issues of sexual harassment in the workplace:
The '00s were a bully. The whole decade revolved around the public and private erasure of consent. And now, like a bad batch of party photos on social media, the mistakes of the decade are reappearing unexpectedly in the nation’s feed. Turns out you can’t really ever outrun the past.The '00s were a bully. The whole decade revolved around the public and private erasure of consent. And now, like a bad batch of party photos on social media, the mistakes of the decade are reappearing unexpectedly in the nation’s feed. Turns out you can’t really ever outrun the past.
But while the cultural venom against men like Richardson or Charney – and now some men in tech – is reaching a fever pitch, the actual consequences directed against these men are minimal. Yes, Charney was fired – but he ran the company unchecked for years and certainly doesn't seem to be hurting financially. The most in-depth piece on Richardson was a puff-piece in New York Magazine that asked if the photographer was an "artist or predator" as if he couldn’t be both. But while the cultural venom against men like Richardson or Charney – and now some men in tech – is reaching a fever pitch, the actual consequences directed against these men are minimal. Yes, Charney was fired – but he ran the company unchecked for years and certainly doesn't seem to be hurting financially. The most in-depth piece on Richardson was a puff-piece in New York Magazinethat asked if the photographer was an "artist or predator" as if he couldn’t be both.
It's hard to imagine the result won't be much the same for "boys being boys" in the tech industry. After all, when developer Adria Richards complained about harassment at a tech conference last year, she was not only harassed and made fun of – she was fired. It's often the victims that end up the worst, in both tech and in pop culture. It's hard to imagine the result won't be much the same for "boys being boys" in the tech industry. After all, when developer Adria Richards complained about harassment at a tech conference last year, she was not only harassed and made fun of – she was fired. It's often the victims that end up the worst, in both tech and in pop culture.
I'm not the first to say that the best way to counter this sort of misogyny in the workplace – be it harassment of more serious cases of abuse – is to make companies more diverse. The presence of more women at the top won't be a magic pill, but it's at least a starting point for to de-escalating toxic behaviors against women and people of color that lead to brutal work environments. Until then, we'll have to continue to raise awareness – again and again. And again. I'm not the first to say that the best way to counter this sort of misogyny in the workplace – be it harassment of more serious cases of abuse – is to make companies more diverse. The presence of more women at the top won't be a magic pill, but it's at least a starting point for to de-escalating toxic behaviors against women and people of color that lead to brutal work environments. Until then, we'll have to continue to raise awareness – again and again. And again.