Why Leave Tech
summary
The talk examines how everyday micro‑aggressions and informal social control in tech push out minorities, citing that about half of women leave tech after 35 and estimating a $16B annual turnover cost. It identifies mechanisms like gatekeeping, relegation to glue work, and ‘well‑intentioned humiliations,’ and recommends practical steps such as documenting harmful phrases, keeping a personal brag document, joining peer communities, refusing invisible labor, training managers, enforcing zero‑tolerance policies, and hiring with culture and retention in mind.
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chapters (26)
- 0:00Presentation by Sonia Prévost
- 1:02Introduction to the topic
- 2:22Harmless little phrases
- 3:18You know how to talk to people
- 4:25You're not technical enough
- 5:04Recognition
- 5:51Little phrases
- 6:39I'm not a real developer
- 7:33Burnout
- 8:12Is it serious?
- 8:55The causes
- 9:33The chainsaw
- 10:27Informal social control
- 10:43Tacit social control
- 12:07A dominant homogeneous social group
- 12:43Salaries are high
- 13:03Society is evolving
- 13:41Actions to take
- 14:08Senghor quote
- 14:41Identifying techniques
- 15:50Identifying techniques alone or with support
- 18:13The dominant social group
- 19:07Beware of women
- 20:57Will I leave tech?
- 22:08Q&A
- 25:55Conclusion
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