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It's a little ironic that Brendan Eich had to step down over a $1,000 donation to a political cause nearly a decade ago, but the Valley so far has no problem wi

It's a little ironic that Brendan Eich had to step down over a $1,000 donation to a political cause nearly a decade ago, but the Valley so far has no problem with "G" hitting a woman 117 times in 30 minutes on video (after which he tried to smother her with a pillow). If he indeed suffers no significant professional fallout from what he did - and as of this moment there are no signs that he will - then the Valley is truly a disturbing place with priorities that are completely out of sync with the rest of humanity.

justinv 13y ago
Incredibly disturbing how little news this has made. No comment from anyone on the Board or at RadiumOne. I really hope they don't get anywhere near the IPO stage if "G" remains in control.
- justinv 13y ago
  He continues to "maintain [his] innocence" and wonders "how stupid the internet is"... http://valleywag.gawker.com/ceo-who-pled-guilty-to-domestic-violence-maintains-his-1567445544 http://valleywag.gawker.com/ceo-who-pled-guilty-to-domestic-... https://twitter.com/gchahal https://twitter.com/gchahal
  - calbear81 13y ago
    Maybe he could just release the surveillance tape footage to "prove" his innocence?
vdaniuk 13y ago
No, its not ironic. That's exactly the difference between for-profit companies controlled by private interests and non-profit companies influenced by community interests. Moreover, trying to extrapolate one data point to draw conclusions about the Silicon Valley in its entirety is a really bad argument.
- k-mcgrady 13y ago
  >> "That's exactly the difference between for-profit companies controlled by private interests and non-profit companies influenced by community interests." It feels like it should be the other way around to me. When something is influenced by community interests and a number of people make noise there should be a public vote or similar to decide on the offenders fate. It should be up to the community as a whole. A for-profit company needs to get rid of someone as toxic as this as there is a possibility it will effect sales. A for-profit company can't wait around to make a decision like that, it needs to be quick.
swombat 13y ago
It's not ironic, it's infuriating... But the best way I've heard it explained is that everyone knows and cares about Mozilla and Github, and no one knows RadiumOne. I tweeted John Gruber suggesting he might link to this, and he (rightly, I guess) pointed out that he had no idea who this guy is. And that will be most people's reaction, I guess.
- downandout 13y ago
  He actually is a minor celebrity. He was one of Obama's biggest donors (and has been to the White House multiple times for personal visits with Obama), he was interviewed by Oprah, and had an entire hour of network television devoted to him in his episode of "Secret Millionaire" on ABC.
  - evan_ 13y ago
    All of those things were purchased.
- buro9 13y ago
  I wondered whether it was the B2B vs B2C thing. Mozilla and Github, both have consumers who will take action. This is a far worse case, he provable beat the hell out of her, but a justice system screw-up has let him largely off the hook. Yet consumers (who make the most noise, push the strongest demands on companies, and can affect the bottom line when they are the customers) are not aware of Radium or able to directly affect the bottom line. I remain uncertain (expressed on Twitter) whether hounding existing investors is the way forward, but certainly pressuring board members (which will include some but not all existing investors) and customers is probably the way. Whereas my thoughts on Twitter mobs remain to the negative, this guy beat the hell out of his girl and clearly has issues with violence. He shouldn't be running a company, he isn't fit to. The court got it wrong (from a moral/ethical perspective as the guy did it, but perhaps right on a technical perspective I'll concede)... and I loathe mobs, but if the court failed to do their job then I come down on the side of the mob (even though that doesn't sit well with me).
  - 13y ago
lholden 13y ago
I think what he did is absolutely disgusting and am rather upset that he isn't going to be rotting in jail. But honestly I've also never heard of him or his company until this article. On the other hand, I have known of and have had a vested interested in Mozilla for as long as it has existed. I'm guessing most folks are in the same situation as myself. His company is private. The most anyone can do is to not do business with him. I think it's absolutely fucked up that he isn't going to prison... but what do you expect people to do? I doubt anyone is going to defend his actions. I don't see how your comparison with Mozilla makes any sense.
- downandout 13y ago
  It's just an interesting contrast. The Mozilla situation was pushed forward by tweets of employees that were offended by his donation. It's odd that something similar wouldn't happen here.
  - smtddr 13y ago
    It's not odd. I've never even heard of this guy or his company before this. I also wonder if this company has a "coolness" factor. For example, if the CEO of AT&T, Monsanto or some Oil company did this I wouldn't expect outrage from SV since those companies' reputations in SV are already so low that no amount of badness from them would shock the tech-community. They'd be like just "Huh, yeah... rich execs in evil corps getting away with horrible crimes because our justice system only works when money & ethnicity aren't a factor. yawn. Happens every week. That problem is too big for me. Moving on..." Not saying this is good... just expectations and moral-bar is set differently for different companies. If the CEO of Mozilla/Facebook/Apple/Google/Dropbox did this we all _KNOW_ the interwebz would freakin' E-X-P-L-O-D-E.
    - justinv 13y ago
      In my opinion, the oddest thing is the lack of comment by the VCs & board. The VCs who have invested in RadiumOne (and are on the board) are: DFJ Esprit, Trinity Ventures, Crosslink Capital, & Adams Street Partners Additionally, Steve Westly of The Westly Group sits on the board. The more there is no comment/action from these groups - the less I think any entrepreneurs should work with them in the future.
josephlord 13y ago
Mozilla is a political organisation relying on public support. It needs a leader that doesn't have public political views that are strongly opposed by those whose support it needs. This guy is head of an ads company, if the customers refuse to do business with it the board will sack him or they will go bust. If this guy is named new Mozilla CEO I think that you might see a stronger reaction than that to Brendan Eich. Edit: For the record I wouldn't want to do business with this man or his company but the Mozilla comparison is completely irrelevant.
danielweber 13y ago
Two big differences: First, I have never heard of RadiumOne or this guy, and I suspect that most other people have not, either. While most people have heard of Mozilla. Second, most people have absolutely nothing to do with this company. I could threaten to boycott RadiumOne's products, but I don't even know what they do. While Mozilla (or DropBox) is a place I can react against. (I didn't like Eich being forced out, FWIW. I'm just pointing out the practical distinctions.)
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- sireat 13y ago
  Actually I am pretty sure I heard of this guy through HN a few years ago, he was pretty famous for starting two ad selling firms under the age of 20 and selling out for big bucks. Even back then I got a bad vibe(the usual Jobsian psychopatic one) out of the gushing articles written about him.
vijucat 13y ago
> "G" hitting a woman 117 times in 30 minutes on video (after which he tried to smother her with a pillow) Your assertive language seems to indicate that you have seen this video or are in some other way 100% sure that he is guilty of the act claimed. Maybe you should reserve opinion till you have enough evidence? Edit : Those who are downvoting me because you disagree with me: this is not reddit. Remember that I wrote a polite and personable reply even though my feelings are as strong as yours.
- srpablo 13y ago
  The police, the parties involved, hell, even the courts have seen this video. Could they ALL be lying, and he's a perfectly innocent man!?!? Furthermore, it's not like it's particularly ambiguous: it's _117_ strikes over a half hour period. This is like disbelieving Australia exists because you've never physically set foot on it.
  - vijucat 13y ago
    Maybe I didn't understand the case enough, apologies. Let me read again.
  - bruceb 13y ago
    Do I think he might be guilty, yes. But when they charge him with 45 felonies and then he pleads guilty to 1 misdemeanor then I do wonder. Do some prosecutors exaggerate, lie, and withhold evidence? Yes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_lacrosse_case http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_lacrosse_case http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Morton_%28criminal_justice%29#Arrest_and_imprisonment_of_prosecutor_Ken_Anderson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Morton_%28criminal_just... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuliano_Mignini#Allegations_of_abuse_of_office http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuliano_Mignini#Allegations_of...
    - ceejayoz 13y ago
      The main bit of evidence, the surveillance tape, was thrown out because they seized it without warrant (out of concern it'd be destroyed while waiting for one). That's why the felonies went away.
dbloom 13y ago
The GitHub or Mozilla stories are more interesting because they raise good questions about what behavior and points of view are acceptable for people in power. In the RadiumOne CEO case, the answers to those questions are obvious. I know that, for better or for worse, there are a lot of overly active devil's advocates on HN. But nobody -- nobody -- is going to be rushing to this guy's defense. There is no reflection, discussion, or debate about this guy's behavior, because there's no need for that, because it is so obvious that this guy is 100% in the wrong and needs to be fired. And that means the story gets less attention. That being said...it will be interesting to see how companies that do business with RadiumOne react. If G remains in place but RadiumOne's clients don't cancel their contracts, then the story will get more interesting.
- mrjatx 13y ago
  He sure is defending himself on twitter, though. The usual "don't believe everything you read, two sides to every argument" way. Maybe he's patting her on the head in the video.
  - dbloom 13y ago
    Umm, then he should release the video.
DonHopkins 13y ago
What makes you think that "the Valley so far has no problem with" that? What is you evidence of that? I see a lot of strong evidence to the contrary. The fact that he worked the legal system because he's rich doesn't mean "the Valley" or the rest of the world doesn't have a huge problem with what he did.
gregd 13y ago
It's not ironic. It's the pervasive attitude that violent misogyny is tolerable. We haven't grown past the point where women aren't 2nd class citizens and it's disturbing...
- wyager 13y ago
  >It's the pervasive attitude that violent misogyny is tolerable. What the hell are you talking about? Literally no one here is saying "Well, I don't really care about women being beaten." There is obviously a huge negative reaction to this, and in case you didn't notice, if there hadn't been serious police misconduct, this guy probably would have been slapped down with forty-five felony charges.
opendais 13y ago
He should be removed as well, immediately. Yes, the tape might have been seized illegally [hence reduced charges, which is fair..the system needs to make it clear you have to play by the rules on both sides]. But ya, the lack of fallout is infuriating...if I was using RadiumOne, I'd boycott until he was gone.

justinv 13y ago

Incredibly disturbing how little news this has made. No comment from anyone on the Board or at RadiumOne. I really hope they don't get anywhere near the IPO stage if "G" remains in control.

justinv 13y ago
He continues to "maintain [his] innocence" and wonders "how stupid the internet is"... http://valleywag.gawker.com/ceo-who-pled-guilty-to-domestic-violence-maintains-his-1567445544 http://valleywag.gawker.com/ceo-who-pled-guilty-to-domestic-... https://twitter.com/gchahal https://twitter.com/gchahal
- calbear81 13y ago
  Maybe he could just release the surveillance tape footage to "prove" his innocence?

vdaniuk 13y ago

No, its not ironic. That's exactly the difference between for-profit companies controlled by private interests and non-profit companies influenced by community interests. Moreover, trying to extrapolate one data point to draw conclusions about the Silicon Valley in its entirety is a really bad argument.

k-mcgrady 13y ago
>> "That's exactly the difference between for-profit companies controlled by private interests and non-profit companies influenced by community interests." It feels like it should be the other way around to me. When something is influenced by community interests and a number of people make noise there should be a public vote or similar to decide on the offenders fate. It should be up to the community as a whole. A for-profit company needs to get rid of someone as toxic as this as there is a possibility it will effect sales. A for-profit company can't wait around to make a decision like that, it needs to be quick.

swombat 13y ago

It's not ironic, it's infuriating... But the best way I've heard it explained is that everyone knows and cares about Mozilla and Github, and no one knows RadiumOne. I tweeted John Gruber suggesting he might link to this, and he (rightly, I guess) pointed out that he had no idea who this guy is. And that will be most people's reaction, I guess.

downandout 13y ago
He actually is a minor celebrity. He was one of Obama's biggest donors (and has been to the White House multiple times for personal visits with Obama), he was interviewed by Oprah, and had an entire hour of network television devoted to him in his episode of "Secret Millionaire" on ABC.
- evan_ 13y ago
  All of those things were purchased.
buro9 13y ago
I wondered whether it was the B2B vs B2C thing. Mozilla and Github, both have consumers who will take action. This is a far worse case, he provable beat the hell out of her, but a justice system screw-up has let him largely off the hook. Yet consumers (who make the most noise, push the strongest demands on companies, and can affect the bottom line when they are the customers) are not aware of Radium or able to directly affect the bottom line. I remain uncertain (expressed on Twitter) whether hounding existing investors is the way forward, but certainly pressuring board members (which will include some but not all existing investors) and customers is probably the way. Whereas my thoughts on Twitter mobs remain to the negative, this guy beat the hell out of his girl and clearly has issues with violence. He shouldn't be running a company, he isn't fit to. The court got it wrong (from a moral/ethical perspective as the guy did it, but perhaps right on a technical perspective I'll concede)... and I loathe mobs, but if the court failed to do their job then I come down on the side of the mob (even though that doesn't sit well with me).
- 13y ago

lholden 13y ago

I think what he did is absolutely disgusting and am rather upset that he isn't going to be rotting in jail. But honestly I've also never heard of him or his company until this article. On the other hand, I have known of and have had a vested interested in Mozilla for as long as it has existed. I'm guessing most folks are in the same situation as myself. His company is private. The most anyone can do is to not do business with him. I think it's absolutely fucked up that he isn't going to prison... but what do you expect people to do? I doubt anyone is going to defend his actions. I don't see how your comparison with Mozilla makes any sense.

downandout 13y ago
It's just an interesting contrast. The Mozilla situation was pushed forward by tweets of employees that were offended by his donation. It's odd that something similar wouldn't happen here.
- smtddr 13y ago
  It's not odd. I've never even heard of this guy or his company before this. I also wonder if this company has a "coolness" factor. For example, if the CEO of AT&T, Monsanto or some Oil company did this I wouldn't expect outrage from SV since those companies' reputations in SV are already so low that no amount of badness from them would shock the tech-community. They'd be like just "Huh, yeah... rich execs in evil corps getting away with horrible crimes because our justice system only works when money & ethnicity aren't a factor. yawn. Happens every week. That problem is too big for me. Moving on..." Not saying this is good... just expectations and moral-bar is set differently for different companies. If the CEO of Mozilla/Facebook/Apple/Google/Dropbox did this we all _KNOW_ the interwebz would freakin' E-X-P-L-O-D-E.
  - justinv 13y ago
    In my opinion, the oddest thing is the lack of comment by the VCs & board. The VCs who have invested in RadiumOne (and are on the board) are: DFJ Esprit, Trinity Ventures, Crosslink Capital, & Adams Street Partners Additionally, Steve Westly of The Westly Group sits on the board. The more there is no comment/action from these groups - the less I think any entrepreneurs should work with them in the future.

josephlord 13y ago

Mozilla is a political organisation relying on public support. It needs a leader that doesn't have public political views that are strongly opposed by those whose support it needs. This guy is head of an ads company, if the customers refuse to do business with it the board will sack him or they will go bust. If this guy is named new Mozilla CEO I think that you might see a stronger reaction than that to Brendan Eich. Edit: For the record I wouldn't want to do business with this man or his company but the Mozilla comparison is completely irrelevant.

danielweber 13y ago

Two big differences: First, I have never heard of RadiumOne or this guy, and I suspect that most other people have not, either. While most people have heard of Mozilla. Second, most people have absolutely nothing to do with this company. I could threaten to boycott RadiumOne's products, but I don't even know what they do. While Mozilla (or DropBox) is a place I can react against. (I didn't like Eich being forced out, FWIW. I'm just pointing out the practical distinctions.)

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
sireat 13y ago
Actually I am pretty sure I heard of this guy through HN a few years ago, he was pretty famous for starting two ad selling firms under the age of 20 and selling out for big bucks. Even back then I got a bad vibe(the usual Jobsian psychopatic one) out of the gushing articles written about him.

vijucat 13y ago

> "G" hitting a woman 117 times in 30 minutes on video (after which he tried to smother her with a pillow) Your assertive language seems to indicate that you have seen this video or are in some other way 100% sure that he is guilty of the act claimed. Maybe you should reserve opinion till you have enough evidence? Edit : Those who are downvoting me because you disagree with me: this is not reddit. Remember that I wrote a polite and personable reply even though my feelings are as strong as yours.

srpablo 13y ago
The police, the parties involved, hell, even the courts have seen this video. Could they ALL be lying, and he's a perfectly innocent man!?!? Furthermore, it's not like it's particularly ambiguous: it's _117_ strikes over a half hour period. This is like disbelieving Australia exists because you've never physically set foot on it.
- vijucat 13y ago
  Maybe I didn't understand the case enough, apologies. Let me read again.
- bruceb 13y ago
  Do I think he might be guilty, yes. But when they charge him with 45 felonies and then he pleads guilty to 1 misdemeanor then I do wonder. Do some prosecutors exaggerate, lie, and withhold evidence? Yes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_lacrosse_case http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_lacrosse_case http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Morton_%28criminal_justice%29#Arrest_and_imprisonment_of_prosecutor_Ken_Anderson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Morton_%28criminal_just... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuliano_Mignini#Allegations_of_abuse_of_office http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuliano_Mignini#Allegations_of...
  - ceejayoz 13y ago
    The main bit of evidence, the surveillance tape, was thrown out because they seized it without warrant (out of concern it'd be destroyed while waiting for one). That's why the felonies went away.

dbloom 13y ago

The GitHub or Mozilla stories are more interesting because they raise good questions about what behavior and points of view are acceptable for people in power. In the RadiumOne CEO case, the answers to those questions are obvious. I know that, for better or for worse, there are a lot of overly active devil's advocates on HN. But nobody -- nobody -- is going to be rushing to this guy's defense. There is no reflection, discussion, or debate about this guy's behavior, because there's no need for that, because it is so obvious that this guy is 100% in the wrong and needs to be fired. And that means the story gets less attention. That being said...it will be interesting to see how companies that do business with RadiumOne react. If G remains in place but RadiumOne's clients don't cancel their contracts, then the story will get more interesting.

mrjatx 13y ago
He sure is defending himself on twitter, though. The usual "don't believe everything you read, two sides to every argument" way. Maybe he's patting her on the head in the video.
- dbloom 13y ago
  Umm, then he should release the video.

DonHopkins 13y ago

What makes you think that "the Valley so far has no problem with" that? What is you evidence of that? I see a lot of strong evidence to the contrary. The fact that he worked the legal system because he's rich doesn't mean "the Valley" or the rest of the world doesn't have a huge problem with what he did.

gregd 13y ago

It's not ironic. It's the pervasive attitude that violent misogyny is tolerable. We haven't grown past the point where women aren't 2nd class citizens and it's disturbing...

wyager 13y ago
>It's the pervasive attitude that violent misogyny is tolerable. What the hell are you talking about? Literally no one here is saying "Well, I don't really care about women being beaten." There is obviously a huge negative reaction to this, and in case you didn't notice, if there hadn't been serious police misconduct, this guy probably would have been slapped down with forty-five felony charges.

opendais 13y ago

He should be removed as well, immediately. Yes, the tape might have been seized illegally [hence reduced charges, which is fair..the system needs to make it clear you have to play by the rules on both sides]. But ya, the lack of fallout is infuriating...if I was using RadiumOne, I'd boycott until he was gone.