Re: nytco.com/susan-fowler-rigetti-to-join-opinion-as-technology-editor/
The title of the 2017 blog post was innocuous enough: “Reflecting on One Very, Very Strange Year at Uber.” The author, a young developer named Susan Fowler, described how she was sexually harassed by a manager within days of starting work, how her efforts to report the problem went ignored, and how she eventually learned that other women at Uber had faced similar harassment, only to be similarly ignored. The 2,900-word post became an overnight sensation in Silicon Valley, leading not only to the downfall of Uber’s chief executive but also some serious soul-searching in the industry that continues today. […]
As our tech editor, she will be responsible for commissioning — and sometimes writing — pieces on all the ways technology is shaping our culture, economy, relationships, politics and play. She will bring her unique brand of courage, clarity of mind and moral purpose to our pages starting in September.
If you’ve been following the technology beat for the past year, there’s little chance you missed Ms. Rigetti’s blog post on her time at Uber. Her well written recounting of the toxic and inappropriate culture that permeates Uber rocked the tech world so hard that it quite simply knocked Travis Kalanick out of the CEO job.
This is a great get for the Times. It also comes not long after the paper announced that Recode editor at large Kara Swisher would be getting her own technology opinion column in August. Elevating the reach of Ms. Swisher and Ms. Rigetti will help ensure we continue critiquing humanity, technology, and culture — which is something we need now more than ever.