“Happy AAPI Month Trish! Do you know any cool Asian American/Asian women leading responsible tech work?”
Hi there, and welcome back to another week of Ask Trish! I hope you’re well and having a wonderful May.
Thank you so much to this week’s question-er for the fantastic question. Indeed, it’s not just Mental Health Awareness Month (as we discussed in my last post), it’s also Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI Month) here in the United States! AAPI Month recognizes the experiences, influence, and contributions of Asian-origin individuals in the United States. As a proud Asian American, this month means a lot to me: it’s an opportunity to shine a light on all of the incredible work that Asian Americans and other Asians in the United States have done and continue to do. And that absolutely includes responsible tech work! In that spirit, this week, I’m excited to briefly spotlight 3 Asian American/Asian women who are breaking barriers to champion crucial work to make the internet and tech worlds better. Readers, I encourage y’all to use this post as a jumping off point to learn more about these women–and to spread the word about their work and the #awesomeness they embody.
Sound like a plan? Let’s get into it:
Ellen Pao: Ellen Pao is the former CEO of popular social media platform Reddit, where users can aggregate information about various topics in feeds. When Pao took over, she noticed straightaway that Reddit had some serious issues, including “demand for naked celebrity pics” and lots of revenge porn on the site. (If you want to learn more about revenge porn, check out my post about the topic here.) Reddit executives asked Pao to commit to growing the platform’s user base, but she instead demanded that the company focus on safety and protecting its users. Said Pao, “We are going to focus our effort on getting rid of all of this harassment on the site and getting rid of some other noxious parts of the site.” Because of her efforts, Pao faced horrible, heartbreaking pushback from members of the Reddit community, pushback that culminated in “death and rape threats, racist abuse, libel, [and] her home address publicised online.” Ultimately, she stepped down from her post as CEO. Pao’s story is a reminder of the misogyny that continues to characterize so many digital spaces. But it’s also a story about bravery, speaking up, and demanding change. After her experience at Reddit, Pao launched Project Include, “an advocacy group aimed at improving diversity in the technology industry.” One recommendation at a time, Project Include is making Silicon Valley more inclusive and welcoming.
Tracy Chou: Tracy Chou is the Founder and CEO of Block Party, a really incredible, innovative startup building technology to clean up users’ socials and protect their wellbeing online. The Block Party browser extension effortlessly navigates all of your social media privacy and notification settings to ensure that your data, your information, and your digital boundaries are secure. Tracy was inspired to launch Block Party after sharing her life freely online resulted in digital targeting and harassment. She wanted to create a technology that would help folks to know that their digital persona was protected…and to make it easy for them to navigate the countless settings across all of their social media accounts. And that’s exactly what she’s done! Said Tracy, “We’re trying to help people prevent their online presence from being weaponized against them.”
Anahita Dalmia: Anahita Dalmia is the Founder and CEO of Alterea, Inc., an experience design startup that blends “immersive theatre, interactive gaming, and history” to help people see themselves and the world differently. (Anahita is also a friend of mine and a personal inspiration!) Alterea was born out of Anahita’s experiences being bullied as a teenager–through which she learned how to “focus more on how I viewed myself”–and from her early experience directing and producing an incredible maze experience in high school. But how does her work tie into responsible tech? Well, after the COVID-19 pandemic produced a barrage of health-related misinformation, including lots and lots of misinformation online, Anahita was inspired to create “Agents of Influence, a media literacy video game targeted at middle schoolers, specifically 8th graders, but suitable for ages 11-16.” The fun game equips students with the skills to identify and counteract false information, online and offline. What I love most about Anahita’s story is that it illustrates that folks with a range of professional backgrounds/interests–including an interest in entertainment!–can make a powerful impact in the responsible tech world.
I hope you found these women as inspiring as I did! Perhaps now you’re wondering about representation of women and other minorities in Silicon Valley, or curious to learn more about Reddit…if so, please go ahead and share those questions and musings with me here. The form takes no more than a minute to fill out…seriously! #easyandbreezy I’m excited to keep the conversation going–thanks in advance for your contributions!
Have a great week, y’all,
Trish