5 ms·

Lawsuit alleges Magic Leap workplace is 'misogynistic,' 'dysfunctional'

28 points by Impossible 10y ago

horsecaptin 10y ago
Is "dysfunctional" illegal?
- rtkwe 10y ago
  If it's bad enough in the right ways to breach title 7 (or any other employment laws) then yeah. The actual suit being brought is a pretty normal Title 7 sexual discrimination suit from the looks of it.
- moftz 10y ago
  Dysfunctional doesn't bode well for a startup. You either sink or swim and if you can't get all of your employees to work together nicely, you will sink regardless of how much cash is thrown at you.
maverick_iceman 10y ago
Hmm, so many anti-ML articles in such a short timeframe. I wonder is it just a snowballing effect or is someone purposely trying to spread negative stories about them?
- dqv 10y ago
  I wondered the same thing when I read "But according to the lawsuit, their suggestions were never taken seriously. This suggests a stark contrast with Microsoft’s competing HoloLens headset, whose design is specifically meant to work with a variety of haircuts and head sizes."[1] [1]: http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/14/14604248/magic-leap-gender-discrimination-lawsuit-sexism-misogyny http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/14/14604248/magic-leap-gender...
alexandercrohde 10y ago
Well, though I believe in the right for people to sue, I think people shouldn't just assume "company is smeared and guilty by association," until evidence is presented.
- talmand 10y ago
  Your efforts in being reasonable will surely not be appreciated by the denizens of the internet. This is the era of "the accusation IS the evidence" for most.
camus2 10y ago
Does Magic Leap have a concrete product? what are they selling?
- quizme2000 10y ago
  Vaporware 2.0
purple-again 10y ago
I encourage people to remember that we're peaking into a complex situation with no context and try avoid leaping to conclusions about either the company or the woman in question. It could be as simple as a SJW crusade attempt that frustrated the CEO who wanted his team focused on delivering a product (Google itself can't fix its gender imbalance and it's throwing millions of dollars and dozens of staff at the problem) so he axed her for refusing to stay on point. It could just as easily be serious sexual harrasment and abuse of power. I'm down here in Miami myself and let me tell you...the culture is no where near the progressive level of the other big cities I've lived in. I made my wife turn down a significant job offer because it would of required her to report to my boss and I refuse to let him in the same room as her. The fascinating claim is that their promotional material was wishful thinking. I've personally been hoping that they were sitting on some cutting edge breakthroughs and have been following them closely hoping for something awesome after the disappointment that Occulus turned out to be. I'm deeply saddened by this news as regardless of which way the sexual stuff goes it seems unlikely she would be willing to make that allegation publicly if it wasn't true to her understanding. That leaves me hoping that she just wasn't in the loop on the good stuff.
- adrienne 10y ago
  > I made my wife turn down a significant job offer Ah, yes, nothing says "respect for women" like forcing them to do your bidding!
moftz 10y ago
Obviously this is just one person's side of the story but if any of this is true, ML sounds pretty dysfunctional. Even if they can get a product out the door by the end of 2017, I don't see how management can sustain a work environment like that for much longer. Good on Campbell for not accepting the severance pay so she can raise these issues in the public light.

28 points by Impossible 10y ago

horsecaptin 10y ago

Is "dysfunctional" illegal?

rtkwe 10y ago
If it's bad enough in the right ways to breach title 7 (or any other employment laws) then yeah. The actual suit being brought is a pretty normal Title 7 sexual discrimination suit from the looks of it.
moftz 10y ago
Dysfunctional doesn't bode well for a startup. You either sink or swim and if you can't get all of your employees to work together nicely, you will sink regardless of how much cash is thrown at you.

maverick_iceman 10y ago

Hmm, so many anti-ML articles in such a short timeframe. I wonder is it just a snowballing effect or is someone purposely trying to spread negative stories about them?

dqv 10y ago
I wondered the same thing when I read "But according to the lawsuit, their suggestions were never taken seriously. This suggests a stark contrast with Microsoft’s competing HoloLens headset, whose design is specifically meant to work with a variety of haircuts and head sizes."[1] [1]: http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/14/14604248/magic-leap-gender-discrimination-lawsuit-sexism-misogyny http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/14/14604248/magic-leap-gender...

alexandercrohde 10y ago

Well, though I believe in the right for people to sue, I think people shouldn't just assume "company is smeared and guilty by association," until evidence is presented.

talmand 10y ago
Your efforts in being reasonable will surely not be appreciated by the denizens of the internet. This is the era of "the accusation IS the evidence" for most.

camus2 10y ago

Does Magic Leap have a concrete product? what are they selling?

quizme2000 10y ago
Vaporware 2.0

purple-again 10y ago

I encourage people to remember that we're peaking into a complex situation with no context and try avoid leaping to conclusions about either the company or the woman in question. It could be as simple as a SJW crusade attempt that frustrated the CEO who wanted his team focused on delivering a product (Google itself can't fix its gender imbalance and it's throwing millions of dollars and dozens of staff at the problem) so he axed her for refusing to stay on point. It could just as easily be serious sexual harrasment and abuse of power. I'm down here in Miami myself and let me tell you...the culture is no where near the progressive level of the other big cities I've lived in. I made my wife turn down a significant job offer because it would of required her to report to my boss and I refuse to let him in the same room as her. The fascinating claim is that their promotional material was wishful thinking. I've personally been hoping that they were sitting on some cutting edge breakthroughs and have been following them closely hoping for something awesome after the disappointment that Occulus turned out to be. I'm deeply saddened by this news as regardless of which way the sexual stuff goes it seems unlikely she would be willing to make that allegation publicly if it wasn't true to her understanding. That leaves me hoping that she just wasn't in the loop on the good stuff.

adrienne 10y ago
> I made my wife turn down a significant job offer Ah, yes, nothing says "respect for women" like forcing them to do your bidding!

moftz 10y ago

Obviously this is just one person's side of the story but if any of this is true, ML sounds pretty dysfunctional. Even if they can get a product out the door by the end of 2017, I don't see how management can sustain a work environment like that for much longer. Good on Campbell for not accepting the severance pay so she can raise these issues in the public light.