As I went to my meetings last week, the talk in Seattle was all about the breaking news in the Seattle Times about the low and falling number of women at Microsoft—and a culture that discourages women from staying. I suggest everyone give it a read:

‘I felt so alone’: What women at Microsoft face, and why many leave

As one of the founding members of the Anita Borg Institute and the Grace Hopper Celebration, where Microsoft is a significant partner, I find this news discouraging and alarming. How is this still happening in 2018? I know CEO Satya Nadella well, and know that under him Microsoft has been paying significant attention to gender diversity. So why am I still reading stories like this one?

Before any of the other tech companies mentioned in the article pat themselves on the back for a job well done, stop right there. Your stats are equally disturbing. From the perspective of a woman who has spent her entire professional life in the boy’s club of the technology world, the current state of affairs is simply unacceptable. What’s more, the stories of what bright, talented women in these companies must endure, and the anxieties and indignities they face each day, are both disheartening and infuriating.

For a women, just getting into the male-dominated areas of a superstar tech company is like running a marathon against super-athletes. You finally cross the finish line into the inner circle, because you are brilliant and gifted, and SURPRISE! The obstacles and culture you find make you want to jump ship in your first week. That’s why all tech companies have what outsiders (and some insiders) call the “two-year-revolving-door.” Get in, do your time, add to your resume and get out before you damage your sanity.

It’s boot camp. For women, it’s about survival. Forget growth or advancement.  Women are not enjoying their careers at these companies, and the companies are missing out on world-class talent because that talent happens to have a pair of “x” chromosomes.

This must change. Quickly. We know it can, because less than a year after #MeToo we’re already seeing changes in entertainment and corporate behavior toward women and sexuality. I have lots of ideas, but before I share them with you, I want to hear yours. Why do you think the tech world is still so hostile to women (don’t even get me started on the startup world!) and what can we do about it?  As for me, as many of you have asked, yes, I am going to write a book that directly addresses these issues. In the works, please stay tuned…

What do you think?

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