"Somehow I see no causation between a conference and the drunken comments by its attendees at a bar." So could you just as easily imagine the conversation goin

"Somehow I see no causation between a conference and the drunken comments by its attendees at a bar." So could you just as easily imagine the conversation going down this way if they were coworkers? It still seems possible to me, but also more than a little bit less likely, like better judgement and potential long term repercussions would start popping into this guy's head. "Oh, she'd probably talk to HR and that sounds like a pain in the ass." No "ethical or moral standard" necessary - just the basic discretion that normal people in a social ecosystem usually exhibit. The reason that these situations seem to be repeatedly playing out at tech conferences aren't hard to deduce, but mostly they just remove the need to have discretion. It's not alcohol or sexuality or immorality - it's an atmosphere with limited institutional memory and inherently short-term social contracts. Conferences are great places for assholes to take cover - you get to be introduced to many people, social capitalize on your work reputation, and sexually "roll the dice" with limited fallout. Fixing this at conferences isn't a trivial matter of an accuser blowing a whistle once, just as it isn't in the workplace, but neither is a defeatist attitude warranted.