Radical Candor: Communication at Work

Ellen Pao On Breaking Tech’s Toxic Status Quo 7 | 3

Jan 15, 2025
Ellen Pao, founder of Project Include and former CEO of Reddit, dives into the pitfalls of tech's broken meritocracy. She reveals how bias and discrimination thrive under the guise of fairness and critiques ineffective quick fixes like generic bias training. Ellen discusses the urgent need for CEOs to engage authentically in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, advocating for a culture of trust and psychological safety in teams. With actionable insights, she champions systemic change that ensures everyone has a fair shot in the workplace.
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ANECDOTE

Project Include's Origin

  • Project Include started because a group of people realized companies lacked good DEI information.
  • They initially offered 87 recommendations, then expanded to cohorts and research reports.
INSIGHT

Virtual Bias

  • Virtual environments can increase bias and harassment due to heightened anxiety.
  • Professor Leanne Williams suggests that personal connection can mitigate this anxiety.
INSIGHT

Tech's DEI Challenges

  • Tech's "meritocracy" myth and strong founder mythology, often white and male, fostered DEI problems.
  • This has created an environment where problems festered, as seen with Elon Musk's actions on free speech.
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