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So use those stats in the story and back up why the author assumes it’s a man.

Assumptions blind you to reality, however.

Even worse: This article perpetuates the gender disparity in tech you reference.

The story has absolutely nothing to do with whether the perpetrator is male, female or a group of people. Not everything needs to have a social justice slant. Arguing about the use of gender pronouns in this context is nonsensical and devalues the entire mission of gender equality. There's a reason why "social justice warrior" has become a derogatory term. Inciting fights over minutia only serves to piss off reasonable people who might otherwise be on your side.

While the usage of pronouns in this particular article has no impact on gender equality, the sum of the hundreds of other that do the same absolutely have one. It feed the expectation that hacker are all men, which push away women, which makes it more true. And since most people are not aware of this it does make sense to inform them.

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