Women in Tech, Ben Silbermann, & Why I Want To Be Visible

Women in Tech, Ben Silbermann, & Why I Want To Be VisibleBen Silbermann, the founder of Pinterest, has given keynotes at Alt Summit a couple times now. I remember people gushing about his talk the first time he spoke there, even though I wasn’t in attendance.

So I was really excited to see that he was back on the Alt Summit schedule this year as the closing keynote. He had a lot of really wonderful things to say, and I did enjoy his talk, despite being pretty exhausted from the previous three days packed full of really great content and new friends.

I’m not sure when it happened, but sometime towards the end of his talk or at the beginning of the Q and A session afterward, I got a sinking feeling in my gut. Why? Because I thought of a question to ask him. I knew if I didn’t ask it, I would regret it for a long time. I’ve never spoken into a microphone in a room full of that many people and I was shaking. But I had to do it. So I stood up and Ellen handed me a mic.

“Hi. My name is Lisa. I have a background in the humanities, but I’ve made a career transition into tech and I just accepted a position as a front-end web developer at Urban Outfitters. Do you have any advice or wisdom for people like me as we transition into an industry that isn’t necessarily welcoming, and at times can be downright hostile, towards women?”

Now, I know this was a Q and A session at a women’s blogging conference. He wasn’t prepared to talk about the massive gender gap in tech. To be honest, I don’t really remember his answer because I was so stunned that I had opened my mouth in front of so many people, but I do remember being mildly unimpressed. It boiled down to something about reaching out to other women in the industry and that changing social norms takes time. I do remember that he congratulated me on my new job, which was pretty surreal and awesome.

But, like, duh. Of course I’ve been networking. Of course I’ve worked really hard. I was a little disappointed he didn’t say something super brilliant. But to be fair, he wasn’t prepared to answer questions like that. And to be honest, it doesn’t matter.

The real reason I wanted to ask that question was to bring more attention to the issue. I wanted to bring it up in front of that audience. I wanted to bring it up in front of the founder of a huge and massively popular tech company. I wanted to be visible as a female web developer.

Social change is slow, it’s true, but visibility helps.

In the spirit of showing up and being seen, I applied to speak on a panel at the 3rd Philadelphia Women in Tech Summit, and I was accepted. I decided to apply at the very last minute, without worrying about rejection, just to see what would happen. I’ve never done anything like this before and I’m a little nervous. If you’re near Philadelphia and even vaguely interested, I’d love to see you there.

Is there any area you’d like to be more visible in? Have you taken any risks, “just to see what would happen?” Do you have any public speaking advice?


Comments

11 responses to “Women in Tech, Ben Silbermann, & Why I Want To Be Visible”

  1. You go girl! I’ll be there to cheer you on from the audience.

    1. Thanks, Yasmine. My life would look vastly different if it weren’t for you.

  2. Good for you! And did I know that you came from a humanities background? Love that.

    It’s so scary to take those steps out of our comfort zone yet it feels so good afterwards. Well, maybe not afterwards but eventually. I love that you addressed a “real” topic at Alt. Not that other topics aren’t real but this one crossed over into social issues/small “p” politics. And it SHOULD be more visible.

    You never know, it unfortunately might have been the first time that Ben heard it put that way.

    And as to advice for public speaking? Preparation is everything.

    1. Yes! Former English and Spanish major, here!

      I know what you mean about “real” topics. I appreciated their focus on Every Mother Counts this year. It can be really easy to get swept up in the glitter & sequins talk, but I have a hard time with that sometimes. I’m not good at small talk, and I often prefer having a serious conversation with someone who’s baring her soul or discussing a social issue.

      You’re right. It very well could have been the first time he heard it. It might be the first time people in the audience thought about it. I think that’s what’s ultimately pushed me over the edge to do it.

      I’ll try to prepare as best I can! It’s a panel, so there will probably be an element of the unknown. But I’ll do what I can to feel on top of things.

      1. I’m the same about small talk – I can “work the room” if I have to but I MUCH rather have a “real” conversation with a few people. Or go to a dinner party with 8-10 people instead of a large, loud party.

        A panel takes some of the heat off. I’m assuming you’ll each have a smallish amount of time to present and then you will take questions.

        History and music over here…

  3. Way to go, Lisa! You’ve done so much just in the short time I’ve know you! I heard this NPR interview the other morning about these “science cheerleaders,” who somehow using cheerleading to promote more women in tech/science careers. I really didn’t get it. I think what you’re doing, excelling in a tech career and telling others about it, seems like a much more effective way to go. I can’t wait to see what comes next for you!

    1. Thanks so much, Sarah! Uh… science cheerleaders? I don’t get that either! I think what people don’t realize (and what I didn’t realize until a couple years ago) is how creative web dev/programming/etc. really is! Nothing about it feels science-y to me. Not that there’s anything wrong with science — it just wasn’t marketed well to me as a kid. I was waaaay more into reading books than science class.

  4. Woo! Congrats on speaking on the panel! I wish I was closer so I could come hear you speak! I’ll be rooting you on from here. 🙂

    1. Oh, I wish we were closer, too! Thanks for the support, even from afar!

  5. Mara Kofoed Avatar
    Mara Kofoed

    Loved this post. You’re amazing. I was at that keynote. Thank you for asking that question. I’ve thought of it many times since, each time I meet a woman working in tech. So proud and happy that you signed up to speak at a conference. Sending you support.

    1. Mara! Thank you so much for your sweet comment. It means a lot that you remember that & still think of it. Thanks for your support!

      Though I didn’t make it to your session at Alt, I remember seeing you in the hallways & always hesitating to say hi and introduce myself. So this is “hi!”

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