Lemondrop

TechCrunch 'Women in Tech' Panel Devolves Into Massive Fight {Lemondrop}

Sep 30th 2010 3:13PM I attended the conference and had a booth that prevented me from attending the panels, but I made sure that the one panel I was going to see was this one. As a young woman in tech, I wanted to be empowered my other women who had been super successful in this world that I wasn't that familiar with, and on a daily basis where I watch the men making all the decisions in my company, with a board of directors of all men as well, I wanted to see how I too could bust through the challenge of being heard as much as men.

Needless to say within minutes my face was hot with embarrassment as I watched every stereotype be filled about women. Catty, bitchy, & not on a united front. I wanted to see women unite for once - instead of compete, and instead all I saw was a pathetic display of projection and attacking. I wanted to march up to the microphone and tell everyone to shut up because not only were they embarrassing themselves, but they were embarrassing me.

Everyone on that panel who made it what is was (not the sweet women who weren't really trying to be aggressive, but the ones who couldn't realize that their should have been a certain level of professionalism) should be super disappointed in themselves. Did you ever think that the point might have been to empower other women? Well, instead you failed. You made me feel humiliated for all of us.