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MPWSilicon Valley

Ellen Pao speaks out against sexism in her first post-trial interviews

By
Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews
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By
Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews
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April 6, 2015, 8:38 AM ET
Photo credit: Justin Sullivan — Getty Images

Ellen Pao has become a point person at the center of the gender debate in Silicon Valley after suing Kleiner Perkins for sexual discrimination.

In her first interviews since March 27, when she failed to convince a jury of her experiences of gender discrimination at the VC firm, the former venture capitalist is speaking out against sexism in the tech industry.

“You need to work through these issues because they are here and they’re not going to go away,” she told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Monday, adding that she thinks the conversation about women in Silicon Valley must continue.

In a separate interview with Katie Couric of Yahoo News, Pao hinted that she may appeal the decision saying, “we’re not talking about it. We’re still in the midst of making some decisions.”

Fortune covered the Ellen Pao trial extensively.

The case unfolded amid frustration with the macho “brogrammer” culture that prevails in Silicon Valley. Over the past year, big tech companies released statistics that showed only about 30% of the tech workforce are women.

Check out more from Fortune on the Pao trial below:

Anita Hill speaks: How to avoid the next Ellen Pao case

Pattie Sellers argues that Pao was doomed to lose her case

A tale of money, sex and power: The Ellen Pao and Buddy Fletcher affair

—Reuters contributed to this report.

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By Chris Matthews
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