Editing Silicon Valley (section)

=== Gender ===
{{See also|Sexism in the technology industry}}
In November 2006, the [[University of California, Davis]] released a report analyzing business leadership by women within the state.<ref name=UCD-PR2006>{{cite press release |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=November 16, 2006 |title=Women Missing From Decision-Making Roles in State Biz |url=http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=7951 |publisher=[[Regents of the University of California|UC Regents]] |access-date=March 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402180822/http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=7951 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The report showed that although 103 of the 400 largest public companies headquartered in California were located in Santa Clara County (the most of all counties), only 8.8% of Silicon Valley companies had women CEOs.<ref name=Ellis2006>{{cite web |last=Ellis |first=Katrina |year=2006 |title=UC Davis Study of California Women Business Leaders |url=http://gsm.ucdavis.edu/sites/main/files/file-attachments/ucdaviswomenstudyfull.pdf |publisher=UC Regents |access-date=March 25, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402165726/http://gsm.ucdavis.edu/sites/main/files/file-attachments/ucdaviswomenstudyfull.pdf |archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>{{rp|4,7}} This was the lowest percentage in the state.<ref name=Zee061116>{{cite news |last=Zee |first=Samantha |date=November 16, 2006 |title=California, Silicon Valley Firms Lack Female Leaders (Update1) |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=acw9MG.7SAig&refer=us |publisher=Bloomberg L.P. |access-date=March 25, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402172104/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=acw9MG.7SAig&refer=us |archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> (San Francisco County had 19.2% and Marin County had 18.5%.)<ref name=Ellis2006 />

Silicon Valley tech leadership positions are occupied almost exclusively by men.<ref name=WP11911>{{cite news |last=Wadhwa |first=Vivek |date=November 9, 2011 |title=Silicon Valley women are on the rise, but have far to go |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/national/on-innovations/silicon-valley-women-are-on-the-rise-but-have-far-to-go/2011/09/14/gIQAP5b84M_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=December 26, 2014 |quote=This is one of Silicon Valley's most glaring faults: It is male-dominated. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025101903/http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/national/on-innovations/silicon-valley-women-are-on-the-rise-but-have-far-to-go/2011/09/14/gIQAP5b84M_story.html |archive-date=October 25, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> This is also represented in the number of new companies founded by women as well as the number of women-lead startups that receive venture capital funding. Wadhwa said he believes that a contributing factor is a lack of parental encouragement to study science and engineering.<ref name=2014MomDad>{{cite web |last=Wadhwa |first=Vivek |date=May 15, 2010 |title=Fixing Societal Problems: It Starts With Mom and Dad |url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/05/15/fixing-societal-problems-it-starts-with-mom-and-dad/ |website=TechCrunch |publisher=AOL |access-date=December 26, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227011324/http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/15/fixing-societal-problems-it-starts-with-mom-and-dad/ |archive-date=December 27, 2014}}</ref> He also cited a lack of women role models and noted that most famous tech leaders—like [[Bill Gates]], [[Steve Jobs]], and [[Mark Zuckerberg]]—are men.<ref name=WP11911 />
[[File:Silicon Valley Pride Parade 2016 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|[[Silicon Valley Pride]] in San Jose]]

As of October 2014, some high-profile Silicon Valley firms were working actively to prepare and recruit women. ''[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]]'' reported that Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft attended the 20th annual [[Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing]] conference to actively recruit and potentially hire female engineers and technology experts.<ref name="Burrows141008">{{cite news |last=Burrows |first=Peter |date=October 8, 2014 |title=Gender Gap Draws Thousands From Google, Apple to Phoenix |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-10-08/gender-gap-draws-thousands-from-google-apple-to-phoenix |website=Bloomberg Business |publisher=Bloomberg |access-date=March 24, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402194407/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-10-08/gender-gap-draws-thousands-from-google-apple-to-phoenix |archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> The same month, the second annual Platform Summit was held to discuss increasing racial and gender diversity in tech.<ref name="Porter141029">{{cite journal |last=Porter |first=Jane |date=October 29, 2014 |title=Inside the Movement That's Trying to Solve Silicon Valley's Diversity Problem |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/3037720/innovation-agents/inside-the-movement-thats-trying-to-solve-silicon-valleys-diversity-proble |journal=Fast Company |publisher=Mansueto Ventures |access-date=March 24, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319121041/http://www.fastcompany.com/3037720/innovation-agents/inside-the-movement-thats-trying-to-solve-silicon-valleys-diversity-proble |archive-date=March 19, 2015}}</ref> As of April 2015 experienced women were engaged in creation of venture capital firms which leveraged women's perspectives in funding of startups.<ref name="NYT4115">{{cite news |author1=Claire Cain Miller |title=Female-Run Venture Capital Funds Alter the Status Quo |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/02/business/dealbook/female-run-venture-funds-alter-the-status-quo.html |access-date=April 2, 2015 |work=The New York Times |date=April 1, 2015 |format=Dealbook blog |quote=We’re in the middle of a shifting trend where there are newly wealthy women putting their money to work, and similarly we’re starting to have a larger number of experienced investors, |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401201224/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/02/business/dealbook/female-run-venture-funds-alter-the-status-quo.html |archive-date=April 1, 2015}}</ref>

After UC Davis published its ''Study of California Women Business Leaders'' in November 2006,<ref name=Ellis2006 /> some ''[[San Jose Mercury News]]'' readers dismissed the possibility that sexism contributed in making Silicon Valley's leadership gender gap the highest in the state. A January 2015 issue of ''[[Newsweek]]'' magazine featured an article detailing reports of sexism and misogyny in Silicon Valley.<ref name=Burleigh150128>{{cite magazine|last=Burleigh |first=Nina |date=January 28, 2015 |title=What Silicon Valley Thinks of Women |url=http://www.newsweek.com/2015/02/06/what-silicon-valley-thinks-women-302821.html |magazine=Newsweek |access-date=March 21, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321113800/http://www.newsweek.com/2015/02/06/what-silicon-valley-thinks-women-302821.html |archive-date=March 21, 2015}}</ref> The article's author, [[Nina Burleigh]], asked, "Where were all these offended people when women like [[Heidi Roizen]] published accounts of having a venture capitalist stick her hand in his pants under a table while a deal was being discussed?"<ref name=Tam150130>{{cite news |last=Tam |first=Ruth |date=January 30, 2015 |title=Artist behind Newsweek cover: it's not sexist, it depicts the ugliness of sexism |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/artist-behind-newsweek-cover/ |publisher=PBS NewsHour |access-date=March 21, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321192906/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/artist-behind-newsweek-cover/ |archive-date=March 21, 2015}}</ref> Silicon Valley firms' board of directors are composed of 15.7% women compared with 20.9% in the S&P 100.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/13/ellen-pao-gender-lawsuit-silicon-valley |title=Ellen Pao gender discrimination trial grips Silicon Valley |work=TheGuardian.com |date=March 13, 2015 |access-date=June 6, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617024429/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/13/ellen-pao-gender-lawsuit-silicon-valley |archive-date=June 17, 2016}}</ref>

{{anchor|sexism in venture capital}}The 2012 lawsuit ''[[Pao v. Kleiner Perkins]]'' was filed in [[San Francisco County Superior Court]] by executive [[Ellen Pao]] for [[gender discrimination]] against her employer, [[Kleiner Perkins]].<ref name=Complaint>{{Cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1672582/pao-complaint.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182506/https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1672582/pao-complaint.pdf |url-status=dead |title=Complaint of Ellen Pao |archive-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref> The case went to trial in February 2015. On March 27, 2015, the jury found in favor of Kleiner Perkins on all counts.<ref name=Recodeverdict>{{cite news |author1=Liz Gannes and Nellie Bowles |title=Live: Ellen Pao Loses on All Claims in Historic Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against Kleiner Perkins |url=http://recode.net/2015/03/27/live-the-pao-v-kleiner-perkins-verdict/ |access-date=March 27, 2015 |work=Re/code |date=March 27, 2015 |quote=That's the full verdict. No on all claims. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327235113/https://recode.net/2015/03/27/live-the-pao-v-kleiner-perkins-verdict/ |archive-date=March 27, 2015}}</ref> Nevertheless, the case, which had wide press coverage, resulted in major advances in consciousness of gender discrimination on the part of venture capital and technology firms and their women employees.<ref name=RecodeDecker>{{cite news |first1=Sue |last1=Decker |author-link1=Susan Decker |title=A Fish Is the Last to Discover Water: Impressions From the Ellen Pao Trial |url=http://recode.net/2015/03/26/a-fish-is-the-last-to-discover-water-impressions-from-the-ellen-pao-trial/ |access-date=March 28, 2015 |work=Re/code |date=March 26, 2015 |quote=We may look back at this as a watershed moment—regardless of how the very attentive jury comes out on their verdict. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327153241/http://recode.net/2015/03/26/a-fish-is-the-last-to-discover-water-impressions-from-the-ellen-pao-trial/ |archive-date=March 27, 2015}}</ref><ref name=NYTDisrupter>{{cite news |first1=Farhad |last1=Manjoo |title=Ellen Pao Disrupts How Silicon Valley Does Business |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/technology/ellen-pao-disrupts-how-silicon-valley-does-business.html |access-date=March 28, 2015 |work=The New York Times |date=March 27, 2015 |quote=Ms. Klein argued that the Kleiner trial would become a landmark case for women in the workplace, as consequential for corporate gender relations as Anita Hill's accusations in 1991 of sexual harassment during the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328055427/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/technology/ellen-pao-disrupts-how-silicon-valley-does-business.html |archive-date=March 28, 2015}}</ref> Two other cases have been filed against Facebook and Twitter.<ref name=Streitfeld150327>{{cite news |last=Streitfeld |first=David |date=March 27, 2015 |title=Ellen Pao Loses Silicon Valley Gender Bias Case Against Kleiner Perkins |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/technology/ellen-pao-kleiner-perkins-case-decision.html |access-date=April 1, 2015 |newspaper=The New York Times |quote=In a sign that the struggle over the place of women in Silicon Valley is only beginning, gender discrimination suits have recently been filed against two prominent companies, Facebook and Twitter. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331103507/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/technology/ellen-pao-kleiner-perkins-case-decision.html |archive-date=March 31, 2015}}</ref>