Pinterest employees today set out a virtual walkout to protest against discrimination and revenge against the company. In a petition posted on the Blind anonymous network app on August 13, employees called for solidarity with three high-profile women who recently accused the company of racial and gender inequality.
The petition encourages employees to translate their Slack avatar with the faces of the three women. It also asks her to write Slack off today at 1PM PT after posting the following message: ‘That’s me [upset/angry/shocked/unhappy/whatever you’re feeling] about the racial discrimination and gender discrimination that happened on Pinterest, and I leave early today. Do with me. changeatpinterest.com. ”
The move follows news that former COO, Françoise Brougher posted on Pinterest for gender discrimination and revenge. Brougher, who joined the company in 2018, says she was paid less than her male colleagues, left out of important meetings and received gender feedback. After speaking out about her abuse, she was fired, according to her complaint.
Control of Pinterest’s treatment of women began in June 2020 when Ifeoma Ozoma and Aerica Shimizu Banks, two Black women who worked on the policy team, accused the company of racial and gender discrimination on Twitter. The news put down a fireworks display, in part because Pinterest is a company that specifically targets women and was praised for leading the tech sector on policies that ban racism and misinformation on the platform. This was policy that Ozoma and Banks helped create.
In a statement, Pinterest said it respects employees’ decision to run out. “The management and staff at Pinterest have a shared goal of building and stimulating a business we can all be proud of,” a spokesman said. “We know we really have work to do and recognize that it is our job to build a diverse, honest and inclusive environment for everyone.”
But internally, support is more measured. “Pinterest will not discourage members of our community from using their voice to show their support for social justice and ensure a more equitable business,” Tyi McCray, the head of diversity and inclusion, wrote on Slack on August 13.
The company also said it would announce a new addition to the board today.
