Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Valentina (@valzarya) here, filling in for Kristen. Hillary Clinton takes the pen for Fortune, Elizabeth Warren has a new bone to pick, and yet another Silicon Valley bro steps in it. Have a fantastic fall weekend.
EVERYONE'S TALKING
• Worst advice ever. The Wall Street Journal this week published an editorial by venture capitalist John Greathouse, who argued that in order to avoid unconscious bias, women in tech should "create an online presence that obscures their gender." Only after they make connections with a potential employer or investor should women reveal themselves as, well, women.
Unsurprisingly, the op-ed has inspired a number of rebuttals, including one from Cathy Belk, the president of JumpStart. While Greathouse is forward-thinking in acknowledging unconscious gender bias, Belk writes, "asking women to hide or change who they are doesn’t create equality or drive change. All it does is reinforce the status quo, which is that women investors and female founders are the exception rather than the rule."
Greathouse has since apologized for his "dreadful" article. "I told women to endure the gender bias problem rather than fix the problem," he tweeted Thursday. "Women have a tough enough time getting their voices heard and my insensitive comments only made matters worse."
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
• Hear, hear, Hillary. Hillary Clinton writes an exclusive piece for Fortune about her experiences as a working mother and makes the case (again) for paid leave and affordable childcare. "I’ll never forget what it was like to be a mom at work," she writes. "It wasn’t easy. And I was lucky: I had financial security, a supportive employer, and affordable childcare. Too many families don’t." Fortune
• Fat-shamer-in-chief? According to court documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Donald Trump's fat-shaming of Alicia Machado might not be an isolated incident. Employees of Donald Trump's Rancho Palos Verdes golf resort say Trump threatened to fire female restaurant employees who weren't good-looking. Meanwhile, employees at one of his development companies say they were told Trump "didn't like fat people."A Trump Organization attorney, in a statement to The Times, called the allegations “meritless.” Los Angeles Times
• Redstone's repairs. Shari Redstone, who now controls the $40 billion media empire National Amusements—which owns 80% voting stakes in both Viacom and CBS—wants to put back together the two companies that her father, Sumner Redstone, split apart a decade ago. Wall Street Journal
• Warren's new war. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has a new cause: fraudulent college debt. The Massachusetts Democrat said Thursday that the U.S. Department of Education’s debt collectors may be violating the law by collecting on federal student loan debt that’s likely invalid, as it's owed to the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges Inc. Bloomberg
• Smile, you're on Broad Strokes! On this week's Broad Strokes, I'm joined by Fortune associate editor Anne VanderMey, who helps me parse through the sexism of the first presidential debate and McKinsey and LeanIn.org's annual Women in the Workplace study. Check us out here: Fortune
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: The Securities and Exchange Commission named Jane Norberg as the chief of its whistleblower office.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• Weighty issue. According to new research published in the scientific journal Plos One, women in the service industry are more likely than their male counterparts to experience weight-based prejudice. Women who gain even a slight amount of weight lower their chances of landing a job, putting them at a “distinct disadvantage compared to men,” according to the study. Money
• Not going back. Monica Lewinsky is back in the news, with CNN reporting that the Donald Trump campaign is telling supporters to bring up her name as a way to fight back against accusations of misogyny from Hillary Clinton. Yet, speaking at a Financial Times conference in London, Lewinsky steered clear of politics, instead focusing on her fight against online harassment. The Internet has led to a “culture of humiliation” that must change because it “does not measure the cost of the victim,” she said. Fortune
• Sheryl's suggestion. Speaking at the Financial Times conference, Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook’s VP of MENA, talked about how having tough talks forces companies to bring uncomfortable issues out into the open—and can help businesses address them. “Every time I see my boss Sheryl Sandberg, she will always ask, ‘When is the last time you had a hard conversation?’" Fortune
• On the trail with Trump. Wonder what it's like to be a female reporter covering Donald Trump? This New York Magazine digs into a few journo's experiences. New York Magazine
Share today's Broadsheet with a friend:
http://fortune.com/newsletter/broadsheet/
Looking for previous Broadsheets? Click here.
ON MY RADAR
25 famous women on overcoming rejection New York Magazine
Samantha Bee shreds all of the sexist debate advice for Hillary Clinton Fortune
What it will take to keep women from leaving STEM Harvard Business Review
Teach women to sever testicles OZY
QUOTE
Nothing motivates me faster than telling me that women don’t do a thing.
Aminatou Sow, co-host of the <em>Call Your Girlfriend </em>podcast
