Recode Decode: Ellen Pao, author, “Reset”

The podcast begins with Kara Swisher interviewing Ellen Pao about her background and the journey that led her to write her book, 'Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change.' Ellen shares her early education in electrical engineering at Princeton, her law career, and her transition into the tech industry through business school and roles in startups and major firms like Kleiner Perkins. Her ambition to understand and influence the tech industry's evolution is a recurring theme.

Ellen details her experience suing Kleiner Perkins for gender discrimination, highlighting the unfair tactics used during the trial, including aggressive legal strategies and damaging characterizations of her. She emphasizes the importance of her actions in raising awareness about workplace discrimination, despite the legal loss, and discusses how her trial helped open conversations about harassment and bias in tech.

Post-trial, Ellen served as interim CEO at Reddit, where she faced online harassment and misogynistic attacks, reflecting broader issues of toxic culture on social platforms. She describes efforts to moderate and improve the site's environment, the resistance to change, and the perception of free speech as being exploited to justify harassment.

The conversation revolves around the balance between free speech and protecting users from harassment and harmful content. Ellen argues that platforms should have clear rules and boundaries, and emphasizes the responsibility of tech companies to manage content without infringing on free speech unfairly. The debate includes the challenges of deciding what speech should be allowed and the dangers of platform bias.

Ellen reflects on how scandals like Uber's culture of harassment have propelled the push for workplace and industry reforms. She credits whistleblowers like Susan Fowler for making these issues visible and stresses the importance of ongoing activism and transparency. The discussion highlights how recent revelations can serve as catalysts for broader change.

Ellen introduces Project Include, an initiative she co-founded to push for concrete diversity and inclusion practices within tech companies. She discusses strategies like blind hiring, inclusive leadership, and better measurement of progress. Ellen advocates for a new generation of tech leaders committed to meaningful reform and the importance of data-driven, holistic approaches.

The conversation ends with Ellen expressing cautious optimism about the potential for transformation in Silicon Valley. She underscores the need for accountability, investment in diverse founders, and leadership change. Ellen emphasizes that societal attitudes and corporate cultures must evolve together to create a truly inclusive tech industry.