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top 200 commentsshow all 441
[–]orangejulius[M] 38 points39 points40 points  (8 children)
This AMA has been removed because the OP asked for upvotes on twitter. This violates reddit's rules against vote brigading and manipulation.
[–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] -9 points-8 points-7 points  (3 children)
I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that asking for help vs the crowd of downvoters was not appropriate. I have deleted this tweet, apologized in the thread, and told everyone not to do it.
Victoria says she is talking to you now. Is there anything else you need from me to reinstate the AMA?
[–]orangejulius[M] 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
We sent you an email to discuss some possibilities. Let's continue discussion there.
[–]WomanInGames 49 points50 points51 points  (19 children)
As a woman in tech for 20 years and games for half of that, I've found the tech industry to be the most inviting and accepting of women and LGBT people. While harassment on the internet or at work is complete unacceptable, we don't experience anywhere near that level in a professional environment. Why do any of you feel that the harassment of women on the internet has any correlation to what women in professional positions within the industry experience? Unfortunately I've felt uncomfortable expressing my opinion openly for fear of being attacked because my experience in tech has been so extremely positive. EDIT: Moved my question to the new AMA thread.
[–]bespoketech 16 points17 points18 points  (1 child)
As another woman in tech, I'd like to say that I don't experience much of it either (it comes and goes...) -- but I still think I should be there to support the women who DO have issues, and be there for them. Outright denial is not the way to go. :)
[–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
Honesty is usually the best way to go, and honestly saying what you do and don't see helps everyone!
[–]kamilah381kamilah taylor 10 points11 points12 points  (1 child)
I don't think you should feel uncomfortable - it's great that you've had a positive experience, and I think we all want everyone to have such positive experiences!
Unfortunately, I do think that harassment of women online is bleeding into the professional environment. Usually it isn't so blatant, but I think it points to many unconscious biases people have. The best we can do is try to bring more awareness so that we can have more women who are able to say what you just said about your experience in the tech.
[–]WomanInGames 7 points8 points9 points  (0 children)
As part of the tech community, its great to be a piece of building so many cool and interesting products, I definitely couldn't imagine myself doing anything different. While I totally understand that there are issues in the industry, it is disappointing to see how everyone is equating the behavior of random idiots on the internet with how people behave in a professional environment. I feel we're attacking the wrong enemy by internalizing the problem in tech.
[–]paperdroid 5 points6 points7 points  (0 children)
My concern, as someone who is new to the industry, is that the internet is more and more becoming part of our professional environment. With indie developers especially. There has been a rising expectation that we need to interact very personally with the community. Unless I disappear into a very large company I fear that I'll be pressured to be more and more public. Do you have any experience with this?
[–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 16 points17 points18 points  (5 children)
Because I've lived it.
Some women have been very, very lucky to have found an accepting home in tech. That has less to do with tech, though, and more to do with finding the perfect tribe to hang out with.
Me? I got forced out of one job due to having a son. I nearly got forced out of a second when I had my daughter. I've had dudes in meetings make comments about my breasts and legs, even though I dressed conservatively. My ex-boss tried to turn me into his secretary several times, because that's what the lady on the team does. My PM told me, quite seriously, that if I wanted our sys admin to do anything, I would have to flirt with him.
I, too, have had many good experiences. It's why I'm still here. But the bad experiences still happened, and have nothing to do with online harassment.
[–]WomanInGames 9 points10 points11 points  (1 child)
Sorry you had those experiences. Those are the exact types of behavior that HR and lawsuits are created for. Those are the people that need to be kicked out of tech.
As a mom of three, its been hard managing time at work and time at home over the years. Especially since I tend to take my work home with me a lot. I do see many things improving especially now with the large amount of information and tools we have available to us that will hopefully bring many more people in general in to the tech industry. Exciting times :)
[–]bespoketech 8 points9 points10 points  (0 children)
I'd like to say that HR isn't always the way to go-- Oft times they have the company's interest at heart, not the people.
Case and point: I had words with HR about issues that I had at my previous company and they deemed my manager more valuable to the company, so they got rid of me instead. Unfortunately I wasn't there long enough to take them to employment tribunal, and I was also a skilled migrant on a t2 visa. Every story is different.
[–]prunejuicechilled 4 points5 points6 points  (2 children)
Do you have any studies to back up your anecdotal experiences? I'm sorry that you had to endure that but is it reflective of the majority of women in this industry?
[–]DrawADay 5 points6 points7 points  (0 children)
“
Unfortunately I've felt uncomfortable expressing my opinion openly for fear of being attacked because my experience in tech has been so extremely positive.
Same here. I come from an overall rather misogynistic country, but when I discovered I'm interested in STEM no one told me I should give up on it or anything. Some people expected less of me, but starting from the University level I was always treated as an equal (many times especially looked out for even because of women being a rarity). My overall experience is very positive as well. I don't understand most of the drama regarding this.
I come from Europe, maybe that makes a difference.
[–]NinjaCoachZ 1 point2 points3 points  (3 children)
Wow, that's fascinating. 20 years with that little discrimination is nothing to sneeze at. Out of curiosity, would you be willing to share some examples of the companies you've worked at? It's good to know which workplaces are and aren't the welcoming environments you've mentioned.
[–]WomanInGames 8 points9 points10 points  (2 children)
Sure! Most have been larger companies like IBM, Microsoft, Sprint and then Infogrames and Electronic Arts.
[–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu -11 points-10 points-9 points  (2 children)
I've sure experienced it. I literally just left court today to testify about the death threats I've gotten from the very misogynist game industry. And I have other horror stories from other women here.
Your question is about the industry itself. I think you can look at the outcome and see women are clearly not making it into the upper echelons. We're not given a fair shake in the VC process, we're not considered for the top spot.
I think almost none of this comes from conscious discrimination. And I think there are good people with harmful attitudes they don't understand.
I strongly agree with the comment that outright denial is not the way to go.
[–]Shadow_the_Banhog 7 points8 points9 points  (1 child)
“
I literally just left court today to testify about the death threats I've gotten from the very misogynist game industry
And you're making a case against who? Twitter? The internet? Commander Jayce?
[–]cxarli 13 points14 points15 points  (8 children)
You've highlighted the difficulties facing women who choose a career in technology. Are there particular advantages to being a woman in the field?
[–]DrawADay 8 points9 points10 points  (2 children)
I'm going to answer your question because the OPs seemed to interpret it differently. I'm a female software engineer, and I've noticed occasional favoritism. They would sometimes prefer me ahead of men because 1) The company wants/needs more diversity 2) Women in general tend to be more organized/well documented.
Since I'm a rarity in my field, I've found that many people appreciate my presence even more. Since we are rare, I've noticed many men being more careful/courteous and be actively welcoming. Most of them treated me as an equal though which is obviously the best option.
[–]kamilah381kamilah taylor 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
This was something I was considering a highlight. It's both a blessing and a curse. In some sense, it's nice to stand out, but at the same time, it's not necessarily something you want to stand out for. I guess the key here is to try and use this in a positive way.
[–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 9 points10 points11 points  (0 children)
I hear a lot of people talk about the advantages of emotional literacy; I think that people skills are a kind of currency often overlooked by very technical minds. That being said, understanding someone's emotional state doesn't do you any good if they won't treat you as an equal.
[–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 5 points6 points7 points  (0 children)
Flexibility!
I've been a remote worker for the past three years. This allows me to work full-time, but to also be there when the kids get home, work staggered hours so I can help with homework if needed, and avoid a commute.
There's few fields where you can do this, and get compensated well.
[–]auntktiizKristin Toth Smith 5 points6 points7 points  (0 children)
Diversity in general is killer when it is embraced. Women bring a ton of value to products, empathy, teamwork and perspective and make a team/group/company better. (MIT even says so: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/01/the-secret-to-smart-groups-isnt-smart-people/384625/)
And many women and men have a different/less-competitive relationship when working together. So sometimes there is less posturing and more getting-work-done.
[–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu -6 points-5 points-4 points  (1 child)
I think women are a lot more fun to hang out with socially. I think we're throwing the better party. Otherwise, no.
I think some men feel like beautiful women get all the career breaks. But, I have to say. I have friends of mine that are particularly gorgeous in this field and it seems like it introduces a whole string of headaches. I think they're not taken as seriously. I think it doesn't matter how skilled they are, men primarily see them for their looks. And I think its something that's inevitably going to fade over a career.
Don't take my word for it - look at outcome. Who is dominating the top fields in tech, and ask yourself if they're men or women?
[–]Kuonji 14 points15 points16 points  (8 children)
Why do you believe the push for getting women and girls into technology-related jobs is significantly larger than getting women and girls into other non-tech careers that are traditionally male-dominated?
[–]secbarbie 12 points13 points14 points  (1 child)
FANTASTIC QUESTION! A+++
I've wondered this myself a LOT. I mean, is there a big push for female firefighters, construction workers, welders?
Perhaps this is why I have my attitude. I came from a construction family (I also have a degree in it!), and women involved just fought harder and didn't take people's shit. I feel that is the same in tech, but there are definitely no books or AMA's about it.
[–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] -2 points-1 points0 points  (0 children)
I didn't know you had a construction degree! So cool..
[–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu -5 points-4 points-3 points  (5 children)
Because technology is increasingly the fabric of the world we inhabit. Engineers literally build our society, and software engineers increasingly create the world of our relationships.
This is where the power is. It's where the money is as well.
[–]YoutubeCommenterHere 1 point2 points3 points  (4 children)
I thought your parents was where the money was
[–]madhousechild 5 points6 points7 points  (1 child)
You left out "your patreon."
[–]YoutubeCommenterHere 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
Sorry, so many charities needed to support a business that's supposed to be supported by games it's developed.
[–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu 3 points4 points5 points  (1 child)
My parents have nothing whatsoever to do with GSX. They've not given me a dime since college.
[–]ObnoxiousMacaw 15 points16 points17 points  (34 children)
Your AMA says that you're working on the problem of getting women into tech, but what about the attrition rate?
It's become painfully obvious, now that my wife and I are planning a family, that a huge part of the attrition problem is due to family leave policies in the US. What advice do you have for women with advanced degrees (i.e., PhD + postdoc) who are starting their careers at the same time that their "biological clock" is starting to tick loudly? How do you get the career started but still get to have the family? Is it even possible?
[–]bespoketech 8 points9 points10 points  (3 children)
Honestly?
More to a country that allows this and actually wants their population to have children. IE: Sweden, Denmark, etc. Great social security and it's considered perfectly "normal" to have children. And for both of the parents to take time off equally for the children.
I just moved to Sweden-- I got a job offer here. There are lots of companies here hiring skilled migrants (especially in technology)-- and I know lots of researchers who have also found work here, too.
[–]ObnoxiousMacaw 0 points1 point2 points  (1 child)
Solving the Two Body Problem is hard enough: your solution is to try and solve the international version? :)
For many other reasons, this option isn't available to us, but we did talk about it. Ultimately, we'd both rather try to fix the system from within rather than giving up.
[–]bespoketech -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
I gave up on it about 8 years ago when I moved away from the US. Been watching it from afar. It's a lot better to watch from 10000km away. :)
Although I admit I left at the right time-- I had no property, nothing to my name. The US makes it difficult for ex-pats, but it's not impossible.
[–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 5 points6 points7 points  (1 child)
I have found that there are some parts of tech more available to women with families. Personally, I could not have started a company as the CEO and had young children. I focus so hard on making great product and building a great team that I have the emotional energy to collapse at the end of the day, and not much more. But it's a happy collapse ;-) I find that remote contract tech jobs are often very welcoming to women, because no one cares about anything other than whether you can code.
[–]ObnoxiousMacaw 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
The happy collapse is the best!
In her field remote jobs aren't really a possibility, but certainly for software developers that would be a solid suggestion.
Thanks for arranging this AMA!
[–]kamilah381kamilah taylor 7 points8 points9 points  (0 children)
We used to talk about this all the time in grad school. So far, most of my friends who wanted children and did a PhD have managed to make that happen. The one thing they all have in common is a supportive spouse. So yes, possible, even if it isn't easy.
[–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu 6 points7 points8 points  (25 children)
I think sexual harassment gets all the headlines, but I believe discrimination against mothers is the most critical issue women face in tech. I say that as a non-parent.
I could easily name 30 women software engineers that left the field because they got no support after having children. We've built this whole industry that is by men for men. It works fine for a dad with a wife at home, but it's not great for other kinds of parents.
For my employees with children, it's not complicated. You're flexible when emergencies come up, you respect that leaving at 5 to pick the kid up from daycare means leaving at 5 no matter what. You show genuine human interest in their responsibilities as a parent.
It takes so little, it's the right thing to do, and you're rewarded with immense loyalty.
[–]Zenkman 6 points7 points8 points  (22 children)
If the main goal of a company is to make a profit, wouldn't it make sense from a logical standpoint to hire an employee who won't leave at random times over one that will?
[–]drocks27 6 points7 points8 points  (1 child)
maybe the main goal of the company shouldn't be profit but ingenuity and the product it puts out, profit can come from having those foundations.
[–]mk81 5 points6 points7 points  (0 children)
It's a strategy for short term profit while ignoring long term structural issues.
If people can't make a living and have children, they won't. We see this happening all across the developed world where fertility rates are below the replacement rate and dropping. Maybe the current economic system can function in an economy with a stable population, but the resulting structural problems will become increasingly apparent as the populations of developed countries across the world start dealing with population decline (Japan passed that milestone this year).
So while it seems very logical as a way to maximize profits in the near term, if every company did the same thing you'd be out of customers within a few generations. Demographics is destiny and unless we foster a culture where one can be a worker and a parent, and where everyone understands the value of being both, we're on a one-way road to the dustbin of history.
[–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu 1 point2 points3 points  (11 children)
No.
Working is tech is a very creative field. Who wants to work with a dictator sitting on a throne decreeing when and where you must code? That might work for a fast food chain, but it's not a good way to build great software.
Employing someone is a two-way street. I give them something, I get something. I have to give criticism as well as receive it. The best teams have a culture of mutual respect.
Kids get sick. My co-founders daughter randomly got extremely sick last year, and she very correctly spent several days at the hospital by her side. It was crunch, but who cares? You would have to be a monster to not have flexibility in that situation.
[–]Zenkman 0 points1 point2 points  (7 children)
So it's illogical to hire a more consistent worker over a less consistent worker in order to optimize profits?
[–]NinjaCoachZ 2 points3 points4 points  (5 children)
If I were an employer and my hardest-working and best employee was a woman, I would gladly give her time off for maternity leave if needed. Things like this would only be a problem if they directly affected performance. If people need time off for whatever reason, be it a family emergency, illness, or some other sort of "drop-everything-and-do-it" obligation, they absolutely deserve time off on the condition that their work ethic never falters. Giving time off for reasonable purposes is better than lower-quality work caused by the firing of hard-working employees, and nobody needs the additional stress of their boss refusing to respect their needs. Having to take care of children shouldn't be the deciding factor that ruins one's job security. That's just unethical.
[–]Zenkman 1 point2 points3 points  (4 children)
Well yeah, if you have an employee who is still outperforming the rest while taking time off, you don't fire them.
I'm saying to hire based on merit.
[–]jadesmar 2 points3 points4 points  (3 children)
You also seem to be equating consistency with merit, and attendance with consistency.
I don't think you've justified those equivalences.
There is also no single linear scale called "merit".
For example, in a creative endeavor, it may be more useful to build a team to maximize diversity, in order to maximize the differences in life experiences from which this team will draw inspiration.
[–]Zenkman 3 points4 points5 points  (2 children)
Merit, in the context of my post, is whether or not you perform your duties to the satisfaction of your employer. Random absences are, by definition, not known when to occur in the future. An employer generally doesn't prefer somebody who will not be able to perform their duties at an unknown point in the future.
Man, woman, or toaster, inconsistency is objectively negative in a merit based sense.
[–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] -1 points0 points1 point  (5 children)
Women are the only employees that leave jobs randomly. Noted.
[–]Zenkman 7 points8 points9 points  (4 children)
I never said that. If a man is leaving randomly and there are better employees available, I'm not going to employ him.
[–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu -8 points-7 points-6 points  (2 children)
It's implied.
[–]Zenkman 4 points5 points6 points  (1 child)
You know what they say about assumptions...
[–]secbarbie 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
Flexibility depends on the ethos of the company. Personally, yes, being a primary caregiver or a split-caregiver family complicates things. Females can have nanny's, Females can have stay at home spouses too. Or you choose the occupation and career that fits your lifestyle. Work isn't everything.
[–]YoutubeCommenterHere -1 points0 points1 point  (1 child)
“
I could easily name 30 women software engineers that left the field because they got no support after having children.
Name 5.
[–]thisgirlangieAngie Chang -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
Parents of any gender have created solutions to working and parenting that work for them.
I host a popular series of events called Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners which are full of successful technical women -- some who have kids, and some who don't.
Silicon Valley parents are often privileged to have strong (and often dual) incomes to assist with childcare and help around the home, here's one story of software engineer parents.
Generally, American parental leave policies leave much to be desired, as this recent New Republic article illustrates.
[–]loose_transistor 29 points30 points31 points  (29 children)
I see a lot of instances where criticism of women (especially in tech) is taken as an attack or straight up misogyny..
I want to know, How/When is it appropriate to criticize then?
[–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 15 points16 points17 points  (2 children)
Can you do so respectfully? And have you, in the past, criticized a man for the same act? Those are usually two good litmus tests.
[–]loose_transistor 6 points7 points8 points  (0 children)
Yes, I would say the same thing to a man. In some cases I probably would be harsher..
[–]Tentacles4ALL -21 points-20 points-19 points  (0 children)
“
And have you, in the past, criticized a man for the same act?
So women come second once again , yay!
[–]mgpcoe 1 point2 points3 points  (10 children)
Constructively. There's been a big discussion recently about specifically why Linus Torvalds' approach of "shitting all over developers and their work" is a terrible way to try to engage volunteer developers, and why it works much better to say "This code isn't any good, here are the problems with it, I'm confident you can do better on your next attempt". If you're careful to express yourself in a way that shows that you want to help the person you're critiquing do better next time, and (more importantly) are open and receptive to people telling you that that was a shitty thing to say, you won't have to worry about coming across as aggressive or misogynistic.
[–]Zenkman 9 points10 points11 points  (7 children)
Actually, Linus is one of the best examples of the non-coddling management system working extremely well. You can't argue with results :)
[–]mgpcoe -1 points0 points1 point  (6 children)
There's "not coddling" and then there's "being abusive". Linus leans toward the latter; I've read his email threads explaining why he wouldn't in a hundred million years consider accepting a given pull request.
He's a smart motherfucker, but he's also a raging asshole.
[–]Zenkman 3 points4 points5 points  (5 children)
Maybe I'm in the minority, and from the vast amount of pull requests from developers (male, female, toaster) it would seem I'm not, but that doesn't seem abusive. Sure, it's rather brunt. Abuse is much different than merely being told you aren't a good programmer and your work isn't good.
[–]mgpcoe 0 points1 point2 points  (4 children)
"Lookie here, your compiler does some absolutely insane things with the spilling, including spilling a constant. For chrissake, that compiler shouldn't have been allowed to graduate from kindergarten. We're talking "sloth that was dropped on the head as a baby" level retardation levels here" -- Linus Torvalds.
That's abusive.
[–]Zenkman 1 point2 points3 points  (1 child)
That's mean, sure. That's not abuse though. It's also quite funny. It's also talking about a compiler, not a person. I'm sure the compiler won't have any long term emotional damage from it.
[–]rancidpaintchip 6 points7 points8 points  (1 child)
“
"This code isn't any good
Some people would be offended by that.
[–]mgpcoe 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
“
"so let's make it better"
Immediately fixes that. Constructive criticism includes guidance on how to improve.
[–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] -10 points-9 points-8 points  (14 children)
Define "criticize."
[–]Zenkman 16 points17 points18 points  (6 children)
Pointing out flaws, pointing out logical inconsistencies, etc,
[–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] comment score below threshold-26 points-25 points-24 points  (5 children)
So what you want is to point out the flaws in another person, rub their face in their logical inconsistency, and have them still like you as a person?
[–]Zenkman 27 points28 points29 points  (0 children)
Yeah! /s
Actually, I mean pointing out any flaws I see in their work or public actions without being unjustly maligned and slandered with vague catchall words that short-circuit discussion.
“
rub their face in their logical inconsistency
I never said anything about that
“
have them still like you as a person
Hmm? Who said anything about that?
So... is what I said an acceptable way to criticize a person?
[–]IamLockeJaw 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
I'm hoping to see a clarification on this.
[–]DeepReally 0 points1 point2 points  (6 children)
“
Define "criticize."
Wow, that's a tough one. Couldn't find a definition anywhere. Here's one I did find though:
evade 1 v avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues).
[–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu comment score below threshold-13 points-12 points-11 points  (2 children)
There's a lot to unpack in your statement. There seems to be an assumption in your statement that women are above criticism, which is demonstrably false. I believe that women are help to double and triple standards.
Your statement also assumes that you are the ultimate authority on what is misogyny and what is not. The truth is, in all of my dealings with Gamergate and the game industry, I have almost never encountered a man that understood when he was being sexist.
Maybe the women who feel you're being misogynist have a perspective on misogyny that you do not? Very often, men assume they have MORE information on this subject when the truth is they have less.
[–]loose_transistor 5 points6 points7 points  (0 children)
"Maybe the women who feel you're being misogynist have a perspective on misogyny that you do not? Very often, men assume they have MORE information on this subject when the truth is they have less."
I hold women in the team to the same standards as the men. I am dealing with web development, so the thing either works or doesnt!
What if I do have more information on the subject? In many regards the information is purely objective. It is either right or wrong.. there is no subjectivity to it at all. How can I get that across without sounding like I am "mansplaining" as is often the term?
[–]DeepReally 5 points6 points7 points  (0 children)
I think you've hit reply to the wrong comment or something. You might one to check the usernames on comments before you reply. This is an internet discussion board not a 1-to-1 chat room.
[–][deleted]  (1 child)
[deleted]
    [–]ggggbabybabybaby 12 points13 points14 points  (11 children)
    What's been your proudest achievement so far in your careers?
    [–]auntktiizKristin Toth Smith 10 points11 points12 points  (0 children)
    This is going to sound self-promoting and fake, but I swear: this is real...
    Each step in my career has been my proudest achievement at the time. Each project or role I've had has built on and achieved more (for me, for the company, for both) than the last. And it's going to be tough to top this. Being a CEO is incredibly fulfilling (and challenging!) for me and it feels like a big achievement for me. And being able to run a company helping people level up or start their careers in technology every day is so incredibly fulfilling and inspiring for me!
    [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 6 points7 points8 points  (0 children)
    I made a company!!!
    [–]kamilah381kamilah taylor 5 points6 points7 points  (0 children)
    I had a moment last week where I felt overwhelmed because I had so many amazing projects going on, and so many options of other awesome projects to work on, and I thought to myself - this has got to be the greatest privilege that this is my dilemma. It's a long way from my low points, that's for sure.
    [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 3 points4 points5 points  (0 children)
    Getting published!
    I write technical books, and each one has felt like climbing a mountain. With coding, many of the successes are created of small victories (dev, alpha, beta, releasing, etc), so there's no big cymbal crash. With a book, I can hold it and smell it and flip through it and post pictures of it to my friends.
    [–]secbarbie 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
    Being blessed to call people that I admire my friends. Having the collaboration and friendships with such amazing luminaries in tech is truly a blessing! That and still being able to do this for a living. (and being awake at 4am to do this Reddit AMA :) )
    [–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu comment score below threshold-6 points-5 points-4 points  (5 children)
    Launching Revolution 60 was a lifelong dream. But, I think when I'm 90 looking back over my career - standing up to Gamergate will be the moment I'm proudest of.
    In Gamedev, every woman I know is terrified of it. But there are just a handful of us that have spoken up publicly, and we've taken a hell of a lot of heat for it.
    When my moment came, I didn't back down - I stood up and I fought for what I believe in. And I'm proud as hell of it.
    [–][deleted]  (3 children)
    [deleted]
      [–]Torchiest 18 points19 points20 points  (33 children)
      Why have women gained so much ground in science and math degrees, but very little in engineering and technology? What is the difference in circumstances?
      [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 8 points9 points10 points  (3 children)
      I can tell you that there's a strong unconscious social bias that keeps us from seeing women as a good fit for tech. It's a hard sell to make people believe that women will be strong when often women are socialized to be cooperative instead of confrontational.
      [–]DrawADay 3 points4 points5 points  (2 children)
      “
      It's a hard sell to make people believe that women will be strong when often women are socialized to be cooperative instead of confrontational.
      Do you think women need to (more) be confrontational to succeed in tech?
      [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
      That's a loaded question. I like to think that what we need to do is not force either "side" to be more "x" than they already are. Instead it's incumbent on each of us to recognize how the other person is trying to communicate with you, and to place the best possible interpretation on that style. Don't think weak, think cooperative.
      [–]mgpcoe -7 points-6 points-5 points  (0 children)
      Men need to be less confrontational and make room. All the way across the board.
      [–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu comment score below threshold-13 points-12 points-11 points  (27 children)
      I see this a lot with my husband, who does patent law for a major Biotech corporation. Interestingly, there's almost 50% parity in his field between men and women! Many people in his office how about the law degree and a science PhD!
      I can only speak to my field, game development, but I think the difference is it's been a playground for adolescent boys for a long time. There are signs everywhere that say "no girls allowed" in ways the men here and don't see.
      It's my hope that in 10 years, game development will have a level of professionalism more commensurate with other fields.
      [–]MadMonkey119 13 points14 points15 points  (8 children)
      Hi,
      I'm a game development student and can't wait to get into the industry. There are far fewer women than men in my major but from what I have seen the women are treated equally and I hope to see this continue into the industry itself.
      So, what do you mean by "there are signs everywhere that say 'no girl allowed'"? I haven't seen anything of the sort and would love to be able to recognize them.
      [–]initial_CD 8 points9 points10 points  (1 child)
      Because its not as bad as she makes it out to be.
      This took 12 seconds to find...
      [–]initial_CD 5 points6 points7 points  (0 children)
      sigh...
      Just downvote away... wouldn't want anyone to challenge that narrative with facts now...
      [–]Kierufu 3 points4 points5 points  (15 children)
      How can you speak authoritatively about game development when the only developer you've ever worked for is the indie startup you created?
      [–]kamilah381kamilah taylor -6 points-5 points-4 points  (0 children)
      We all take science and math classes in school, and have exposure to professionals like doctors, but most of us don't have computer science classes in K-12 classes or exposure to Software Engineers. So may this means your exposure to what it means to be in tech are movies like "The Social Network" or "The Internship", recent examples of highly unbalanced portrayals of women in tech. I think the combination of a lack of cs education and popular culture's portrayal of tech have hurt engineering and technology.
      [–]princessodactyl 14 points15 points16 points  (8 children)
      What do you think of the interplay between ageism and sexism in tech hiring practices? I've been told I was already aging out of employment opportunities and I'm only 24!
      [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 10 points11 points12 points  (1 child)
      AT TWENTY FOUR?!
      deep breath
      There's most certainly an interplay between the two. At one job I held, I know that women were judged much earlier than men when it came to aging. Male co-workers would make cracks about a manager's crow feet, or ask me if I thought so-and-so dyed her hair, or make comments about menopause if a woman was frustrated or upset.
      In other words, the policing got even worse as the women got older. Agism still happened with me, but it appeared to set in later.
      [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 6 points7 points8 points  (0 children)
      I completely agree with Katie. I just had to tell a world-class Python developer that people were looking at the grey in her hair, not her Github, and that she was going to face more of the same. She's under 40.
      [–]kamilah381kamilah taylor 8 points9 points10 points  (4 children)
      Agism at 24 is crazy! In a way, I think it is related. There's a vision that's been popularized about who a tech person it is, and it's just not true. This study (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140825160257-48794474-the-linkedin-report-on-tech-entrepreneurship) actually had some great insights re age and being an entrepreneur.
      [–]fuckofthefryish -3 points-2 points-1 points  (1 child)
      You are absolutely nailing this thread. Loving all your answers so far!
      [–]kamilah381kamilah taylor 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
      Thank you!!! =)
      [–]princessodactyl -1 points0 points1 point  (1 child)
      Thanks for the article! I had heard before that the average age of entrepreneurs was older than the image I've seen in media, good to see data on that.
      [–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
      I have to be honest - I personally haven't seen agism.
      [–]npnerd 17 points18 points19 points  (14 children)
      How can men (who aren't hiring-managers) best help women succeed in tech? What resources can we provide to our colleagues to help further progress in our offices and online?
      NOTE: I asked this previously in the other thread, but it got amazing responses, so I'm asking again over here.
      [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 18 points19 points20 points  (1 child)
      I'd love to see more positive messages from the amazing men who support women in tech be publicly posted instead of privately sent to me.
      [–]NinjaCoachZ 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
      I thin that's generally the way to go. The more open and public people are in regards to supporting women in tech, the more it reinforces the idea that such behaviour is acceptable and how it should be.
      [–]secbarbie 8 points9 points10 points  (0 children)
      Be the unbiased party for the women in tech that you like. Just because someone is a male, female, or toaster doesn't mean that they shouldn't be challenged and be held to the same standards. I feel that we get away from this concept in some of these conversations. Like Tarah said, being a positive voice publicly is great, but also being a true colleague and having a mutually beneficial professional dialogue about what is positive and negative about their performance, issues, etc. can help /as long as you both are on those terms/!
      [–]auntktiizKristin Toth Smith 9 points10 points11 points  (1 child)
      Here's my reply from the other thread. And double thank you! Thank you for asking, and thank you for asking again!!
      We all have bias. The toughest type of bias to correct is unconscious bias because it is...well...unconscious. But if you learn about your own tendencies to interpret behaviors, you can more easily identify your own bias and correct it. Or others'.
      So my advice is to study gender bias. This made a huge impact on me in grad school (before which, I just put my head down, worked hard, and hoped that results would be enough), and it's helped me to call out and correct bad behaviors in a super constructive way. I think the same study can help men. There are a ton of great books. It's been years since I studied this, but the ones that made the biggest impact on me were Beyond the Double Bind: Women and Leadership and You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation.
      And then seek out opportunities to positively and proactively speak up or take action on behalf of your female colleagues.
      Oh! And mentor! :)
      [–]npnerd 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
      Thank you for the book recommendations! Added to my wishlist
      [–]thisgirlangieAngie Chang 8 points9 points10 points  (1 child)
      NCWIT (National Center for Women in Technology) has a great "Top 10 Ways To Be A Male Advocate For Technical Women" guide you can send the men - thanks for asking!
      [–]npnerd 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
      Nice resource, thanks for sharing.
      [–]kamilah381kamilah taylor 8 points9 points10 points  (0 children)
      I can copy my response from that thread.
      Be a male ally. I have really great friends who send me relevant news, give me advice, and provide a supportive ear. Sometimes we have conversations where we'll both uncover unconscious biases, things we've done that may have been positive or negative, etc, and I don't think they know how much I appreciate this.
      [–]Chzn8r 4 points5 points6 points  (3 children)
      Listen more than you talk. Believe women when they tell you stories that conflict with how you see things. Respect their judgement on issues regarding the sexism and other negative behavior they experience - ultimately they have a perspective that you can't see, and that's not a bad thing.
      Look for ways in daily life to correct small examples of sexism, male preference, male-as-default, or language used to equate women or something feminine with "lesser" or being inherently negative, whether you're changing your own habits or bringing it up to a friend or coworker. People will start consciously reconsidering these things when they've been brought to their attention enough.
      Hope this helps :)
      [–]kamilah381kamilah taylor 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
      <3
      [–]modsrliars -2 points-1 points0 points  (0 children)
      “
      Believe women when they tell you stories that conflict with how you see things.
      What if they tell me the world is flat?
      [–]npnerd -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
      “
      Hope this helps
      It does. Thank you for your thoughtful response.
      [–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu -1 points0 points1 point  (1 child)
      Now that I'm not typing on my iPhone, I can answer this question more completely. The most important thing is, educate yourself on the issues women face. Network with women, listen to them, advocate them professionally.
      Men have a power over other men that women completely lack - being a peer. If I tell a guy to knock off some sexist behavior it's going to get really hostile, really fast. Men can do this with other men and it's more effective.
      When women aren't included, speak up. The truth is, you have more power to fix this situation than we do.
      [–]npnerd 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
      Unfortunately I think you're probably right. It really pisses me off that I could have more of a voice than a woman to speak up for women.
      PS: HUGE fan of Isometric! Rocket is growing on me.
      [–]Aksen 11 points12 points13 points  (7 children)
      What really needs to happen to get men to understand the difficulties faced by women in tech?
      It seems that many men feel they are under attack when this is discussed, and that women are mistaken about the problems they face, and they want special treatment. What discussion/phrasing needs to happen?
      Thanks, you guys are great!
      [–]secbarbie 21 points22 points23 points  (3 children)
      The others might disagree with me on this, but I think that we need to move away from the fear of 'wording things incorrectly'. If something a male says gets misconstrued, then it needs more communication.
      I SO agree with the 'no special treatment'. Heck, I never really viewed myself as a 'Girl In Tech', just a person in tech. Yet, I don't want to not be included in the lunches, dinners, golf outings, off-sites, etc. because the wives/girlfriends will be jealous. This behavior is what makes us special snowflakes, and often times makes women feel things they shouldn't' feel in their careers.
      [–]kamilah381kamilah taylor 4 points5 points6 points  (0 children)
      I don't disagree at all, I think this is spot on.
      [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
      I agree with SecBarbie. I have been excluded from event after event, trips, parties, sports outings, and so many of the things that make up real professional life not because the wives or girlfriends would get jealous, but because that was the excuse offered to me so that having a woman along wouldn't harsh the buzz. Clearly, they've never partied with me.
      [–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu -2 points-1 points0 points  (0 children)
      I also think it's spot on.
      [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham -2 points-1 points0 points  (2 children)
      I think more men need to understand that they can benefit from a crappy system without being responsible for it.
      In most cases, we're not attacking a particular guy (unless he's been particularly heinous). We're attacking a system. If they can see that the system is bad and is hurting them, too, then it becomes easier to see where we're coming from.
      [–]kamilah381kamilah taylor -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
      So well said. I actually had that conversation with a friend re how parental leave policies and how we use them affect women and men differently. He didn't realize that though he's definitely a male ally, he'd inadvertently benefited from not having to take leave when having a child.
      [–]secbarbie -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
      That's a beautiful response!
      [–]MagicGin 7 points8 points9 points  (11 children)
      I originally posted this in the old thread, as a reply to 3 comments from Tarah, Brianna and Katie.
      Lewis's Law is a decent point here (also, pardon me, I'm going to reply to all 3 of you in this post) but I genuinely wonder if the problem isn't being perpetuated by people who mean well, but aren't capable, or people who seem capable but genuinely don't mean well. It's definitely true that there's an extremely hostile anti-feminist environment. It's also definitely true that there are some extremely hostile feminists as well; even within the community, terms like TERF ("Trans-exclusionary radical feminist") have risen up in order to try to establish some feminists as engaging in the "wrong kind" of feminism. A major problem I see here comes from the fact that it takes many to build something but only one person to destroy it. There's definitely some crazy people out there who represent themselves as feminists. I see a lot of these people dogpiling others and engaging in damaging rhetoric, whether that rhetoric is simply poisonous or just woefully ignorant. A lot of the people (broadly) who comment on these kinds of things are outsiders looking in; they don't understand that other people might not understand the problems as they're stated. Often I see it said that, "We need more women in tech!". Someone will ask "Why?" and the responses are often filled with vitriol. This is an excellent way to turn someone into an anti-feminist, because they begin associating feminism with the vitriol they received.
      I think we definitely need feminism. I don't think feminism is a bad thing, I think it's a very good thing. I do wonder, however, if a lot of people we perceive to be anti-female are actually just anti-(what they perceive to be)-feminism. If my perception of feminism was nothing but a bunch of people who talk about castrating/killiing/etc. all men, I think I'd be rather anti-feminist as well.
      Like I said, do you think some of the anti-feminist rhetoric we see in tech (and even more broadly) is the result of this? I do wonder, very deeply, if maybe the actions of an aggressive minority are breeding an aggressive counterculture, which in turn is reinforcing the original aggressive minority.
      [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham comment score below threshold-10 points-9 points-8 points  (10 children)
      I think the anti-feminist rhetoric comes from some people who don't like to see women getting mouthy. Period.
      [–]MagicGin 21 points22 points23 points  (0 children)
      I don't know--I think that view is a little narrow! Huffington Post did a survey (which I hope I have linked correctly!) that found that people overwhelmingly supported the basic idea of Feminism, that women be
      “
      Social, Political and Economic equals
      But in spite of that, the largest majority declared that they weren't feminists. Everywhere I look, the term "feminism" takes on a very different meaning. I can completely empathize with anyone who hates any group because of the fringe minority. Perceptions are formed by experiences and the negative ones stick out the most strongly. I guess my primary concern is that the non-fringe majority isn't acknowledging this. I would love to see more women in tech; I would also love to see more people acknowledging that everyone needs to be more empathetic and understanding.
      Part of this, I guess, stems from the fact that I can't say that people are inherently bad. People do things, good or bad, for reasons and anyone attempting to champion change needs to acknowledge that, don't you think?
      At the very least, when 83% of people want women to be equal to men, but only about 20% think of themselves as "feminists", isn't that an indicator that something is wrong?
      Edit: I missed an apostrophe and a t. My post must have been very confusing towards the end there.
      [–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu -7 points-6 points-5 points  (7 children)
      Pretty perfectly said, Katie.
      Feminism is about the equality of women. That we have to tap-dance around the problem to make some people happy pretty much says it all.
      [–]Avish2 3 points4 points5 points  (6 children)
      and this is where my problem is... why equality for only women and not everyone? I think this shows a bit of selfishness which people may think that what you really want is superiority. Should everyone not be fighting for the equality of everyone?
      [–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu comment score below threshold-12 points-11 points-10 points  (4 children)
      If you stand for everything, you ultimately stand for nothing.
      [–]Go_Back_To_SRS_Cunt 11 points12 points13 points  (0 children)
      Translation: Do things my way or else you're a misogynist!
      [–]pentestscribble 3 points4 points5 points  (0 children)
      You don't necessarily have to stand up for others, just stand aside.
      [–]WeatherIsFineHere 11 points12 points13 points  (4 children)
      Tarah,
      Are you aware of the rules regarding Vote Brigading on Reddit?
      Aside from that:
      Why do you have someone like Brianna Wu included in this book?
      It seems like there would be plenty more qualified women to include. Based on the fact that Rev 60 is the only thing of note that she has created, it seems you want her here just for the controversy that comes with her.
      Would it not be true to say that this is a publicity stunt to get people to buy the book/support the kickstarter based on the universal hate of gamergate by Wu's followers?
      [–]TweetsInCommentsBot 9 points10 points11 points  (0 children)
      “
      Starting to see some rotten #GamerGate behavior on our AmA with @Spacekatgal Please come upvote! https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2usldu/we_are_tarah_wheeler_van_vlack_brianna_wu_kristin/
      This message was created by a bot
      [–]WeatherIsFineHere -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
      Well, I suppose deleting your tweet is a step in the right direction
      [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] -10 points-9 points-8 points  (0 children)
      I have deleted that tweet. This is my first time doing an IAmA, and fortunately, there is a crowd of awesome moderators helping me to do a good job. They let me know that asking people to defend Brianna against all the downvoting was against the rules, and now I know.
      [–][deleted]  (9 children)
      [deleted]
        [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 12 points13 points14 points  (2 children)
        Only when they include un-fun mini-games.
        Kidding aside, no, I don't. Played them all my life, hung out with gamers all my life, raised two little gamers, and I've never seen a change in violence when someone has moved to a more violent game.
        [–]secbarbie 5 points6 points7 points  (0 children)
        No. I don't even think that they really cause too much de-sensitivity to it either.
        [–]Shadow_the_Banhog 6 points7 points8 points  (4 children)
        [–]TweetsInCommentsBot -1 points0 points1 point  (1 child)
        “
        I stand by my statement that the GTA5 Private Dance minigame is such a terrible message, it could lead to rape. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNwsNw0_Exg
        This message was created by a bot
        [–]secbarbie -3 points-2 points-1 points  (1 child)
        There are bigger fish to fry then video games on this topic. I think the GTA5 and other games that include overtly sexual events with women up to and including rape-like scenes are just ridiculous. The games don't benefit from it, neither do the gamers.
        [–]Kushali 7 points8 points9 points  (4 children)
        I'm a nerd. I've done dev, pm, test, ops, and release management over my career. I'm also a woman. It seems the more I hear about women in tech struggling the more a voice inside me says that all the good & bad things that happen to me are related to my gender. For example, I just got a really cool opportunity but I'm having trouble enjoying it since I keep wondering if I get this chance because I'm a woman or because I'm just a badass in general. Any tips for shutting up my internal gender discrimination monologue?
        [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
        Trust me, if you got that chance, it's because you're a badass.
        I know people like to act like women get some sort of special equal-opportunity-employer ticket, but the truth is, it's harder for us to get those chances, because those looking at us start detracting points from us the second they see that we're a woman.
        I mean, look at what happened when a guy added "Mr" in front of his name: http://whatwouldkingleonidasdo.tumblr.com/post/54989171152/how-i-discovered-gender-discrimination
        [–]Al_Bee 10 points11 points12 points  (13 children)
        Non techy dad with 2 daughters (both under 10) here. Any ideas of how to get them into programming and IT beyond simply using packages (eg MS office)?
        [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 15 points16 points17 points  (2 children)
        Under ten? Get them Scratch!
        It's a free programming tool from MIT. It requires very little typing (which can be hard on little hands), but is still quite powerful. You can either download it and run it on your machine, or you can play with it online.
        Get a book about Scratch (my daughter and I are working through http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9781593274092.do), and work through it together.
        [–]Zenkman 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
        Scratch is great! Another good one is Stencyl, although that's a bit more complicated.
        [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
        YEAH, Whatever Katie says is the thing you should do; she's the top programming educator for Python in the world!
        [–]paperdroid 5 points6 points7 points  (0 children)
        You can learn along with them!
        Minecraft is also a great game to play with them, especially when you start looking at the modding community. It's a great way to get them to ask questions about how things works, how they may be able to make their own, etc.
        Edit: The current Humble Book Bundle is particularly relevant!
        [–]kamilah381kamilah taylor 6 points7 points8 points  (0 children)
        My parents fed both my sister and I a steady diet of legos, science kits, educational games, and encouraged us to think of ourselves as scientists. The thing that really got me was the lego mindstorms kit, which they got for me back in 2000 I think.
        [–]gragsmash 3 points4 points5 points  (1 child)
        I really would love to see the ama ladies answer this, but as a father with a boy and a girl in the same age range, I'd say give them access to computers and tech (monitor them a bit, though).
        If they get interested in programming or design, it's just like if they want to play soccer or the violin. Provide the tools and encouragement.
        [–]auntktiizKristin Toth Smith 3 points4 points5 points  (0 children)
        I agree with Kate's and your advice. One of the things that has been speculated to have been a part of the decline of women in computer science since 1984 has been that once we all started having computers at home, the one computer ends up in the son's room. Keep that computer out in the open and encourage learning play with Scratch and exercises like those on code.org's website.
        [–]princessodactyl 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
        Made With Code and Hour of Code are a good start to make simple programs and get an idea of what programming can do! There are plenty of free resources online from beginner to advanced level.
        [–]secbarbie 1 point2 points3 points  (1 child)
        CODE COMBAT!!! :)
        There are tons of cool coding games and such available now. I'm SUPER jealous of kids growing up!
        Also, MOST IMPORTANTLY, encourage what they want to do. Exposure is great, but I have seen an interesting turn with my 'tech-parent' friends who seem to be pushing it to kids who don't have the desire. Minecraft is amazing for kids to get the logic concepts though :)
        [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 3 points4 points5 points  (0 children)
        +1 on Minecraft. I hear that parents love Minecraft for expanding out kids' spatial awareness. Also, my husband plays it with his son and loves it.
        [–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu 1 point2 points3 points  (2 children)
        On the Gamedev side? Disney Infinity is a wonderful tool. It's a kindergarten version of Unreal, and will let kids visually script their own game.
        [–]Sleipnoir 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
        There's also Microsoft's Project Spark, I've only seen a little bit of it but it seemed like it might be good for kids that are interested in game dev.
        [–]WomanInGames 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
        Disney Infinity is a wonderful introductory tool. I'd suggest MIT's Scratch visual tool for younger kids as well. Gets into variables and loops using puzzle-type pieces and easy to use sprites.
        [–]Saturdead 6 points7 points8 points  (11 children)
        Thanks for doing the AMA. I have a good friend who is very much into discussing the issues you're looking to bring forward in this book. I personally don't universally agree with all opinions brought forth, but I can hardly argue with academics. So I have two questions, if I may. First off, will your book be based on peer-reviewed academic research, personal opinion and experience, or a combination of the two? Second of all, a bit of a wider question (maybe too wide, in which case, I apologize!) but I was wondering what your view on feminist technoscience is, in general. Do you think it has a place in academics? If so/if not, why?
        Thank you for your time. I'm curious to see your answer!
        [–]Sybrandus 6 points7 points8 points  (4 children)
        “
        feminist technoscience
        Could you ELI5?
        [–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu -3 points-2 points-1 points  (5 children)
        I have a lot of people to contact me of the writing projects. I turn almost all of them down, but I agreed to this one.
        The reason is, it's a pragmatic how-to manual. This book is not going to be from an academic, it's not going to be from a journalist, it's going to be full of common sense strategies from women that have worked in this field and fought these battles.
        [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 1 point2 points3 points  (4 children)
        Exactly, Brianna. That's the point and purpose here. These are real women who have succeeded. I have an artistic vision as well, which is to see the biggest possible cross section of women in tech. This isn't just the straight white privileged American women in tech book. It's the ALL WOMEN IN TECH BOOK.
        [–]madhousechild 0 points1 point2 points  (1 child)
        What is the best strategy to advance into management and upper management?
        [–]tomfooly 12 points13 points14 points  (8 children)
        Why do you have someone like Brianna Wu included into this book? It seems like there would be plenty more qualified women to include. Based on the fact that Rev 60 is the only thing of note this person has done in the tech industry, it seems you want her here just for the controversy that comes with her. Basically it seems like a stunt to get people to buy the book/support the kickstarter based on the universal hate of gamergate by Wu's followers and the SJW crowd.
        [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] -5 points-4 points-3 points  (7 children)
        Brianna Wu is one of the toughest women I've ever met, and she's rapidly turning into my hero. She's doing this AmA from the courthouse where she's testifying against one of the men threatening to kill her. She's a BADASS and one hell of an example of someone who refuses to back down when someone tries to kick her.
        And she ships product.
        [–]Shadow_the_Banhog 3 points4 points5 points  (1 child)
        “
        She's doing this AmA from the courthouse where she's testifying against one of the men threatening to kill her.
        I've seen those "threats" and the interview by Wu's friend, to call them credible is ridiculous.
        “
        She's a BADASS and one hell of an example of someone who refuses to back down when someone tries to kick her.
        And she ships product.
        Didn't giantspacekat have a lot of trouble working on the Rev60 port before the patreonbux started coming in?
        [–]tomfooly 2 points3 points4 points  (1 child)
        That is a very good response to the question thanks. While I do not doubt that she has recieved threats, the only issue I have of it is that the Massachusetts court records do not show that Brianna has ever filed a case, let alone testified in court. You can search for yourself here http://www.masscourts.org/eservices/home.page.7
        [–]madhousechild 4 points5 points6 points  (5 children)
        What do you think of the position that focusing the trials that some women face in tech scares more women away from it, and causes companies to not want to hire women because they fear lawsuits?
        [–]requieminadream 4 points5 points6 points  (8 children)
        What is your ideal breakfast meal?
        [–]secbarbie 3 points4 points5 points  (0 children)
        Coffee!
        [–]kamilah381kamilah taylor 0 points1 point2 points  (3 children)
        Waffles.
        [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
        One that I don't have to put together myself.
        Love the meal, hate cooking that early.
        [–]coil7180 2 points3 points4 points  (4 children)
        What's your proudest career moment?
        [–]secbarbie 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
        Having the courage to take my company to the next level and being humble enough to know that the organization wouldn't work without the people that make it amazing!
        [–]Dorian_B 2 points3 points4 points  (1 child)
        What phase of authorship is the book in?
        How has it been to collaborate on a single project this way?
        How have you handled disagreements in the whole process, anyway?
        (Edited) What have you been surprised to learn from each other working on that book you're all writing?
        [–]Ableyoungthug 3 points4 points5 points  (9 children)
        What do you guys think of the war on drugs?
        [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 4 points5 points6 points  (0 children)
        inhale I live in Washington. The war on drugs is over who gets the last Dorito.
        [–]Icenug 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
        Who is John Flynt?
        [–]tatianatylosky 2 points3 points4 points  (7 children)
        How do we get women to treat each other better? Girl on girl hate makes me so sad but is seems pretty prevalent.
        Also awesome video by Laci Green talking about this issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t0UvvYs3AE
        [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
        One way? Call others out on it, kindly. I've had to do this a few times, and I always remind the other woman that this kind of stuff is put in place by a crap system that would rather women fight each other than help each other.
        [–]Chzn8r 1 point2 points3 points  (2 children)
        For those of you who know women who have dropped out of the field and not because of parenting - which, while it happens, is neither the leading cause nor more prevalent than in other fields - what was their reason? And, on a positive note, do you know anyone who has left the industry who then returned later (and why)?
        [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
        I left and came back!
        I left because I was laid off, and after my treatment at the company, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back. I was treated like an alien and was constantly pushed into areas that weren't about coding, even though I was hired to code. I started looking into other fields.
        I returned because I got a second chance I couldn't refuse, and because I realized that I really, really loved coding. Sure, I was good at the things they had me doing, but my best days were those when I could just push code around and make things with it.
        [–]revisualize 0 points1 point2 points  (5 children)
        I hope your project advances beyond your greatest expectations. How will you celebrate?
        [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 3 points4 points5 points  (2 children)
        Bourbon.
        [–]secbarbie 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
        Sleeping!
        [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
        Sleeping.
        [–][deleted]  (5 children)
        [deleted]
          [–]PirateReject 4 points5 points6 points  (0 children)
          Have you messaged and engaged every developer on Steam's Greenlight, whom you didn't vote for, on your reasons why and to create a "dialogue"?
          [–]Counter_Jerk -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
          I've been following both sides of the Gamergate debate since the beginning. It seems like there are some legitimate concerns about journalistic ethics & narrative pushing in the media that are being written off as misogyny. Do you think there is any validity to those concerns?
          [–]ActivistGamer 2 points3 points4 points  (4 children)
          What are your favorite games? PC or Console?
          [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
          Tabletop. I'm OG.
          [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
          PC or handheld. Console controllers hurt my hands :(
          These days, I'm playing Fantasy Life on my 3DS, and Minecraft on my computer. I also watch LPs like I'm getting paid to do so.
          [–]bespoketech 0 points1 point2 points  (8 children)
          Hello! Woman in Tech here. Thanks for doing this (I am going to follow you all in Twitter, as well!)
          My question: Getting women into tech is one thing, but having them stay is another. Why aren't there more initiatives with trying to get women to stay? I've already thought about it before, and some of my lovely friends have thankfully talked me out of it. But there is a hemorrhage, and no one seems to be addressing it at all!
          [–]Arbuthnot 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
          Hey!
          I'm working on a game - I'm paying staff, it's under construction, and it's well under way.
          The question I have is when should I start planning the infrastructure - like, should I wait until its a finished product? When do I cross the line from hobbyist to developer?
          Thanks for showing up!
          [–]ArkansasRiver -1 points0 points1 point  (1 child)
          I have a question about storytelling/game creation and worldview. How does someone create a compelling game or story that has a particular worldview or political view and it not be overly polemical? For example, the "Left Behind" movies are terrible in part because they beat the audience over the head with the theology they're advocating. How does one create art that means something and not just propaganda?
          [–]ArkansasRiver 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
          I should clarify -- I was thinking of Brianna specifically with this question (though others feel free to answer). I've heard Brianna make a number of comments on representation -- i.e. more and better representation of women in video games. How does one do this in a way that feels organic to the story and not just polemical?
          [–]Vietgnome 0 points1 point2 points  (10 children)
          Thanks for doing the AMA!
          When did each of you know that you wanted to pursue a career in STEM? What were the most significant roadblocks you encountered along the way?
          [–]secbarbie 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
          I'm pretty sure that I've always wanted a career in STEM of some sort ever since I was the daydreaming little girl who wanted to be a flight engineer for NASA! heheh... that didn't work out quite as planned.. The 'boys' club is the most major roadblock that I have ever encountered. Being a female and not being invited or allowed to attend and do certain things because of my gender.
          [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 3 points4 points5 points  (0 children)
          I wasn't told that I was good at math until much, much too late to get degrees in it. I started calculus in grad school so I could do quantitative analysis of data on warfare and small arms transfers. I ended up doing hugely advanced computer simulations while doing PhD work, and I loved it! Turns out computer skills pay much better, too ;-)
          [–]auntktiizKristin Toth Smith 5 points6 points7 points  (0 children)
          I totally fell into it. I had great role models in my father and grandfather who both told me, forever, that I could be anything, do anything, and be anything that I put my mind to. And they were both engineers, at least for part of their careers.
          When it came time to pick, I declared different intentions for majors, by college. Had I gone to one, I would have been pre-law. Had I gone to another, journalism....another, music. But I figured it would be much harder to transfer INTO engineering once I was in school than to transfer OUT if I found I didn't like it. I ended up choosing the school where I applied to the college of engineering. But I still wasn't sure.
          The thing that really saved me was a program that was developing when I started school that taught a very well-rounded education that was super practically oriented. (I am not one of those people who learn well if I can't see why I need to learn something.) Even though it was supposed to build talent in manufacturing and operations (also not a lot of women!) and I thought I had no interest in it, the educational opportunity to stay in engineering but have requirements in business, foreign language, and flexibility to be more well rounded really got me engaged in engineering as a part of my whole study.
          Having that program really kept me in engineering, and it ultimately led me to tech because of the power of software and computational power when it comes to doing awesome things.
          [–]kamilah381kamilah taylor -1 points0 points1 point  (3 children)
          I wanted to go to space when I was little, and my parents told me I had to study science if I wanted to go to space. So I decided I'd be into science and math.
          In high school, an intro to robotics class is what got me hooked on computer science. Interestingly, when deciding to study in computer science, my concern wasn't my ability to do the subject, it was the fact that I saw a lot of guys who weren't welcoming to women in my computer science class. Thankfully I got to university and made lots of great friends in computer science, male and female.
          Other roadblocks fall into the category of pivoting into a new speciality and feeling like I'm behind everyone. That's one I still work on overcoming!
          [–]auntktiizKristin Toth Smith -1 points0 points1 point  (2 children)
          I wanted to go into space too!!
          [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
          I took an inventory of my talents, and this was the one that I enjoyed, and that paid well. Romantic, eh?
          My first biggest roadblock was getting laid off right after having my son. Let me tell you, it is NOT easy to get a tech job when you have a very small child. All of the entry level jobs basically wanted someone completely unattached, so they could work insane hours.
          My second biggest roadblock was fighting managers who wanted me in other roles. One wanted me to be a secretary for the team. Another wanted me to be a PM. I've had them assume that I'm a designer (especially since I do accessibility work), or that I'm more junior than I am.
          [–]scriptkiddie1337 comment score below threshold-7 points-6 points-5 points  (9 children)
          I loved rev60. It's the best AAA game ever given it's high budget, top developer/publisher etc. As it won GOTY 2014 and was more critically acclaimed than Half Life, have you any plans to make a sequel?
          EDIT: Cannot believe I've been down voted by these sexist mysoginists. It's a legit question and I'm now a victim statistic
          [–]rancidpaintchip 5 points6 points7 points  (2 children)
          Downvoting merely means your question was not seen as adding to the conversation. Jumping to call downvoters sexist misogynists (note the spelling) and playing the victim because 3 people didn't like your question makes you look foolish. Maybe you should stay away from reddit until you can handle it like a grownup.
          [–]noetheb -9 points-8 points-7 points  (13 children)
          Is the rampant sexism and misogyny that exists in the gaming world that is manifested in gamergate the most serious issue in gaming today? If not, what is?
          [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 21 points22 points23 points  (10 children)
          The most serious issue in gaming today is clearly the nightmare that is 5th edition D&D.
          [–]gragsmash 4 points5 points6 points  (1 child)
          Whoa, let's not have an edition war in here. Does this look like the internet to you?
          [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
          NANO KICKS THE ASS OF VIM
          /troll
          [–]mgpcoe 1 point2 points3 points  (3 children)
          Lies!
          AD&D 2e was far more nightmarish than fifth, never mind the mental gear change that was 2nd to 3rd.
          [–]Torchiest 0 points1 point2 points  (2 children)
          2e4life! Everything after that was a pale shadow. /grognard
          [–]mgpcoe 2 points3 points4 points  (1 child)
          Yeah, I cut my teeth on 2e. I still kind of miss THAC0 and the weird mental arithmetic involved, but I have to admit that increasing AC and DC is a far more straightforward mechanic. If nothing else, it makes it easier to get new players into it.
          [–]spacekatgalBrianna Wu -2 points-1 points0 points  (1 child)
          I think in gaming, the most imperative issue is the bifurcation of the field. Do you remember the game Binary Domain that came out a few years ago? This is the kind of game that simply isn't made anymore, a B+ game the takes chances and tries something new. Now it's just AAA overbudget games and scrapy indie games.
          I do think Gamergate is an incredibly important issue, and I frankly think our industry is failed miserably in addressing it. The truth is, the overwhelming majority i'm journalists interfield are men, and it's really shown in the way they responded. Absolutely shameful.
          [–]fuckofthefryish 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
          Would you mind elaborating on Binary Domain? What did it try that was new and why wouldn't it be made today?
          [–]Crogacht 1 point2 points3 points  (2 children)
          What brought you all together to make this book?
          [–]secbarbie 3 points4 points5 points  (0 children)
          Tarah is the amazing life-force that has connected a lot of us. It's fantastic to collaborate on a project with women across a lot of different spectrums in tech!
          [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
          I did. To be clearer, I ratcheted up some courage and asked some of the most famous tech women in the world to write short autobios of why they love technology.
          [–]tatianatylosky -2 points-1 points0 points  (2 children)
          How do you work with people who don't think this is an important problem to be fixing?
          [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
          At this point in my career? I don't.
          But that's my privilege showing. I've been around long enough and wracked up enough points so that I can pick and choose where I go. When I was greener, I simply refused to engage. When one dude baited me one too many times, I asked him if he wanted our next conversation to be in HR. He backed off, after that.
          [–]rancidpaintchip -3 points-2 points-1 points  (0 children)
          Recent headlines identified the top-earning woman in tech as a transgender who was born and socialised as male. Do you think that transgender m2f should be included in statistics about women in tech? Should they participate programs designed for women, since any place they take means one less woman who was born female can participate.
          [–]wittyallusion -5 points-4 points-3 points  (6 children)
          You've all seen more than your fair share of insults and curses thrown your way. Do you have a favorite comeback?
          [–]tarahmarie42Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack[S] 4 points5 points6 points  (0 children)
          I love the responses that Ijeoma Oluo used on Twitter a week or so ago. She responded to every hateful comment with a Martin Luther King Jr quote. It was beautiful.
          [–]kcunningKatie Cunningham 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
          I have a teen, so I'm pretty good at handing out a withering look. That's made the face to face ones back off pretty quick.
          Online? Eh. I mostly ignore them. If they're lucky, they get an eye roll gif.
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