A developer evangelist for SendGrid, Richards lost her job, as well as one of the men in the photo. Richards also runs a blog https://ButYoureAGirl.com where she shared an opinion piece on the subject. Titled “Forking and Dongle Jokes Don’t Belong At Tech Conferences,” Richards writes in part:
“I know it’s important to pick my battles.
I know I don’t have to be a hero in every situation.
Sometimes I just want to go to a conference and be a geek.
But…
like Popeye, I couldn’t “stands it no more” because of what happened …
Three things came to me: act, speak and confront in the moment …
I explained that while this could be funny, it was out of context because:
- We were at a tech conference
- There was a job fair going on
- Women historically have felt unwelcome at tech conferences
- PyCon was making a special effort to be welcoming to women
- There were several women’s groups here (PyLadies, Women Who Code, CodeChix,Ada Initiative)
- He was wearing company logos and that meant his actions and words carried on their behalf
….much further than his sense of humor ever would.”
To make it plain, “a dongle is a small piece of hardware that attaches to a computer, TV, or other electronic device and enables additional functions such as copy protection, audio, video, games, data, or other services that are only available when it is attached.”
Forking as it relates to software is defined “when developers take a copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct piece of software.”A startup, SendGrid apparently couldn’t afford the attention.
Here’s what they wrote in a statement: “Effective immediately, SendGrid has terminated the employment of Adria Richards. While we generally are sensitive and confidential with respect to employee matters, the situation has taken on a public nature. We have taken action that we believe is in the overall best interests of SendGrid, its employees, and our customers. As we continue to process the vast amount of information, we will post something more comprehensive.“
Unfortunately, she’s now receiving death threats, threats of rape, being called the N-word, and attacks on her website. Also, her personal information has been doxxed, i.e. exposed. What was meant to be a teaching moment has turned into cyber bullying and a battle. If Richards wouldn’t have exposed the men in the manner that she did, I don’t believe the PyCon organizers would have felt compelled to act in the manner they did.
