Astro Teller is the captain of moonshots for X (formerly Google X), who is tasked by Google with inventing breakthrough technologies designed to make the word a better place. Here he answers questions about his role in the fight for gender equality at work.
1. Did you actively think about workplace gender inequality prior to the Me Too movement? And what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from Me Too?
Systematically discouraging and discounting 51% of the human race is incredibly wasteful.Workplace gender inequality is an issue that has upset me for many years, both because it’s unfair to women and because systematically discouraging and discounting 51% of the human race is incredibly wasteful. It’s the single biggest fixable problem humanity has. It wasn’t until Me Too, however, that I realized just how relentlessly exhausting it is for women to fight, or brush off each moment of bias as it comes her way many, many times each day. I would say that I’m now more aware of these headwinds and so even more committed to supporting the women I work with.
Click here to read more
