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Comment by downandout | Hacker News Reader

It's not an evil plot, it's just very opportunistic and shows a complete lack of concern or empathy for the effects of her actions on others. She probably thinks she came out on top of this because her follower count may have gone up slightly, but I think that in the end she has cost herself future opportunities with this.

The message she sent was very simple: Being anywhere near her is a liability. You never know what will offend her, and how she will react to it. Do not hire her or take a job that would involve interaction with her. Stay away. Don't even eat lunch near her, as she may broadcast your lunch conversation if she finds the content to be objectionable.

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> The message she sent was very simple: Being anywhere near her is a liability. You never know what will offend her, and how she will react to it.

I agree, this is how you'd expect kids to behave.

And where has she shown to have a complete lack of concern or empathy for the effects of her actions on others?

Has she gloated that her follower count has increased? Has she expressed any glee over these firings?

In fact, if you've read the Venture Beat article they assert directly the opposite:

Richards, while standing by her actions, has tweeted that she did not think the developer should lose his job. It’s fairly clear that getting him fired was not her intention.

"Has she expressed any glee over these firings?"

No, but she did compare herself to Joan of Arc and say that she stepped up when the future of women in tech was on the line. A tad bit dramatic.

But surely even an overly dramatic defense of her own actions does not directly imply that she was trying to get anyone fired, or that her goal was only self-aggrandizement.

She can be both obnoxious, maybe even wrong-headed, and still act in good faith. (even if her actions did not have the consequences she intended)

No I don't think she was trying to get anyone fired and did not mean to imply that. She just decided to create a mess and try to turn this into something about sexism. I can't know her intentions but my guess is that her passion for this issue prevents her from acting reasonable and in fact, did more to hurt the cause than help it. It just provides ammo to all those who are afraid to hire a woman and that's a shame.

I'd say an appropriate comparison considering how the flames are tossed at women who disapprove of sexual objectification in professional environments.

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