Despite strides being made in women achieving leadership positions, the glass ceiling and more may have been in play at Pinterest, according to a just announced law suit filed against the company by its former COO Francoise Brougher. She alleges gender discrimination, wrongful termination and retaliation associated with a pattern of mistreatment by three fellow C-suite male members.
Brougher describes an environment of pressure to comply with gender stereotypes that included her being marginalized and excluded from meetings as a result of her unwillingness to conform. In the announcement she specifically refers to demeaning and sexist behavior directed at her by the company’s CFO that led to her outright firing. The announcement mentioned her representation by the employee rights law firm of Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe.
The suit follows Brougher’s two years at the company, a period when Pinterest showed high growth and completed its IPO. The suit spells out a list of allegations of less favorable compensation versus her company peers and receiving criticism over her leadership skills though she contends it aligned with the same traits of her counterparts. She was excluded from notable company events such as the IPO Road Show and board meetings that is unusual for a publicly traded company. Brougher brought to Pinterest a twenty year career in technology serving in an executive position at Charles Schwab, Google, and Square.
She also alleges that when she took actions to gain relief from specific behavior of the CFO, Todd Morgenfeld, by contacting the company’s Human Resources and then the CEO Ben Silbermann, she was fired. The reason for her departure was given to employees as “voluntary”.
Brougher’s attorney, David A. Lowe, Partner at Rudy Exelrod Zieff & Lowe, describes the import of the lawsuit and publicly sharing what Brougher has experienced, stating, “Ms. Brougher’s story reveals an often unspoken experience for women who reach the top of their fields. Even after they achieve a high position and earn a seat at the table, they are still held to different standards of behavior and expected to defer to male peers. Ms. Brougher is bringing this case to shine a light on gender bias and retaliation in the C-Suite.”
Brougher also publicly stated her case with an op-ed, “The Pinterest Paradox: Cupcakes and Toxicity” in which Brougher details both her successes and challenges at Pinterest, while describing a toxic work environment. The situation is somewhat ironic as approximately 70% of Pinterest users are women.
“Gender discrimination at the executive level may be more subtle, but it is insidious and very real,” said Ms. Brougher. “I believed Pinterest would judge me based on my job performance. But instead I was treated unfairly because of my gender. I’m speaking out because I want to be part of the hard work of dismantling systems of gender bias that punish women for the type of strong leadership rewarded in men and that impedes female leaders’ ability to be successful.”
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