this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2023

998 points (97.3% liked)

Linus Tech Tips

linustechtips@lemmy.ml

4,253 readers

2 active

1 user here now

⚠️ De-clickbait-ify the youtube titles or your post will be removed!

~~Floatplane titles are perfectly fine.~~

~~LTT/LMG community. Brought to you by ******... Actually, no, not this time. This time it's brought to you by Lemmy, the open communities and free and open source software!~~

If you post videos from Youtube/LTT, please please un-clickbait the titles. (You can use the title from https://nitter.net/LTTtranslator/ but it doesn't seem to have been updated in quite some while...)

founded 3 years ago

moderators

What started as criticism over errors in recent YouTube videos has escalated into allegations of sexual harassment, prompting the company to hire an outside investigator. (www.theverge.com)

submitted 2 years ago by phillaholic@lemm.ee to c/linustechtips@lemmy.ml

205 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Linus Media Group CEO Terren Tong also responded via email, saying he was “shocked at the allegations and the company described” in Reeve’s posts. He went on to note that “as part of this process, beyond an internal review we will also be hiring an outside investigator to look into the allegations and will commit to publish the findings and implementing any corrective actions that may arise because of this.”

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[+] theroz@lemmy.ml -47 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Well said. I'm not sure I believe this former employee either. I read the "reasons they left," and it's simply too unbelievable. It sounds like more of a personal cry for help than a legitimate accusation. The more I read, the more buzzwords for media I saw. And every community is reacting as those buzzwords intend.

parent

hideshow 6 child comments

[–] abraxas@lemmy.ml 30 points 2 years ago (1 child)

I’m not sure I believe this former employee either. I read the “reasons they left,” and it’s simply too unbelievable

Statements from actual victims often do. That's part of the problem with the culture of not believing, or even alienating, victims. I'm not saying it should be treated as evidence against the company, but the company absolutely should make sure this believe is not happening internally and those of us on the outside should be charitable towards this former employee's testimony unless contradictory evidence shows up.

Using the Depp/Heard thing as a point of reference. There were good reasons to suspect her claims were fabricated or exaggerated, but I've also known people who have gone through many of the relationship experiences she testified about. Until she had her day in court and showed the world her (probable) dishonesty, even she deserved the benefit of charity. Or else by sheer misfortune we will start telling real victims they made it up.

parent

hideshow 2 child comments

[+] theroz@lemmy.ml -23 points 2 years ago (1 child)

Yeah. It just seems far too fabricated. For someone who is willing to share their life on social media, it seems very strange that they wouldn't have told a single person they know about it. Then, all of a sudden, other accusations arise and - oh yeah, look at all the things that happened to me! Too many things to never have been mentioned.

parent

hideshow 2 child comments

[–] abraxas@lemmy.ml 24 points 2 years ago (1 child)

You understand that people who are victims of abuse, especially sexual abuse, are often afraid to come out, to tell anyone? What you are calling evidence of being fabricated is a symptom of abuse, and people who are trained to understand and report on those types of abuse are also trained to do so from victims who will go so far as to deny it had ever happened.

For your own benefit, please read this National Domestic Violence Hotline article on exactly why people's loved ones never share that they have had situations worse than Reeve alleged. Yes, it's about domestic abuse and not workplace abuse, but it is the same type of trauma and helplessness.

parent

hideshow 2 child comments

[+] theroz@lemmy.ml -29 points 2 years ago (1 child)

All of this just solidifies, in my mind and those who can think critically outside of a herd mentality, that this is fabrication. The accusations made didn't happen in a family behind closed doors, they happened out in the open. Do we think that the LTT facilities don't have cameras covering every square inch? Get with it. They record everything, I'm sure. This person didn't go to the police because there probably isn't anything to go to the police about.

Unless we're all to believe that everything that happened was in the one place where cameras never went, every single time? That none of it occurred on any kind of technology that would or could be audited, right?

Use your brain brochacho. These are the fabrications of someone who is mentally unstable. Not of a victim. Unless... a victim of their own mind.

parent

hideshow 2 child comments

[–] abraxas@lemmy.ml 24 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Wow. You're giving off some heavy misogyny vibes right now accusing me of having a herd mentality for pointing out actual symptoms of actual problems. We're not even talking about the LTT accusation anymore, but about specific behaviors you used to decide that she was probably lying. That is the shit that makes people afraid to tell anyone when they are abused.

Do we think that the LTT facilities don’t have cameras covering every square inch?

I've worked at some big paranoid companies, cameras everywhere (full lockdown, fwiw), that have dealt with abuse issues. My own boss was stuck in a toxic environment regarding another coworker for MONTHS before she got the courage to speak up and deal with it. Guess what. The cameras don't do much when a large part of the abuse is verbal and the abusive moments are just that - moments.

Thing that made me feel like shit? I witnessed some of it, and took it as consenxual because she wasn't saying anything about it. I was young, dumb, and raised to have the same mindset you're showing me right now.

That none of it occurred on any kind of technology that would or could be audited, right?

Not sure. I'm using Reid's Principle of Credulity at this point and time. Should evidence come out she is lying, I will stop giving her the benefit of a respectful response. The presence of cameras at LTT's office is not that. People are abused in front of, or around, cameras all the bloody time.

Use your brain brochacho. These are the fabrications of someone who is mentally unstable. Not of a victim. Unless… a victim of their own mind.

I'm going to give this to you straight. I've heard someone say basically the same thing with the same attitude about a domestic abuser. Then the "lying" victim was hospitalized. If you had lived that life experience, would you act that way?

parent

hideshow 4 child comments

[+] theroz@lemmy.ml -17 points 2 years ago

As a side note, I'm in the tech world for a career. Predominantly male. Perhaps predominately white, though I can't speak to those statistics - the environment is more diverse every day. That said, I met a friend back in 2015. She's smart, eloquent, and overall extremely talented. I've seen her get passed over for promotions; I've seen clients engage her unfairly, by making statements like, "are you getting the engineer?" Because they were expecting a man. Anyway, a lot of us in our inner circle suspected her boyfriend of physically harming her. For years. But there was never any concrete evidence. After 8 or 9 years of friendship for me, perhaps 12 or 13 for others in our circle, she cut off all contact with us. She sent a message saying, "I can't talk to any of you, it's not right. You are all married and I'm engaged." She never spoke to us again. This was about 6 months ago.

Said circle, also, is not all male. 3 males, 2 or 3 female, plus spouses. One trans man and his wife. Pretty diverse in all aspects.

So anyway, 2 months ago she up and quits her job. Straight up leaves. No exit interview, no reason, nothing.

I am about 99.99% sure that she's in some kind of mentally abusive relationship. Her boyfriend had control over her when she was at work with us. We gave her opportunities to tell us. She chose her path.

It saddens me often when I think about it. But it doesn't affect my opinion on this LTT story....

parent

[+] theroz@lemmy.ml -18 points 2 years ago (1 child)

Bottom line, beyond any contestation - the right thing to do would have been to report it to the the correct authorities; not us.

That they didn't, alone, is enough to completely discredit the entire story. To claim ignorance, in 2023, of what should have been done is just bullshit.

What happens, then, when the storm blows over and this is all proven to be false? Are ya'll gonna come back here and admit you were wrong? Going to start following LTT again? Nah, the herd has left and moved on. Ya'll will pretend to be enthused by the delivery of the dude at Gamer's Nexus, despite his content being less thrilling than simply reading the spec sheet. (Just saying, his delivery is terrible, though I respect the channel.)

If it comes out that this was all a lie, it might just be too late.

parent

hideshow 2 child comments

[–] abraxas@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

Bottom line, beyond any contestation - the right thing to do would have been to report it to the the correct authorities; not us.

You actually think that's easy? And how do you know she didn't, and that they didn't just say the same shit you did? There's a LOT of documentation of authorities in some areas (and Az is one of those) not taking those types of complaints seriously enough, especially when made against a person of power. There's literally been a huge outcry about it.

But more importantly, that's why most people who finally admit to being abused don't do so to the authorities. They do so to friends, or yes, a public forum. You're telling me that IF this is true and IF this is actually her responding as many/most victims do, it's still her fault?

And if it actually happened and she finally got the courage to say it, why exactly should those who care enough to follow her NOT be made aware of it?

What happens, then, when the storm blows over and this is all proven to be false?

With that attitude, it WILL be proven to be false regardless of the facts.

Are ya’ll gonna come back here and admit you were wrong?

Wrong to give the potential victim the benefit of credulity? FUCK no. I hope she's lying because it means she wasn't abused, but I'm not going to add to the abuse by denying her life experience. I'm not saying we should globally cancel LTT. I'm saying we shouldn't cancel HER, like you seem to be doing.

If it comes out that this was all a lie, it might just be too late.

You really have more sympathy for a corporate machine with their ability to hire professional troubleshooters for bad press, than a person who might have been highly abused by that corporate machine? Well there's the disconnect.

Let me make this clear. If LTT is destroyed by her coming out, that's on **their ** failure to be a business that can prove itself safe for workers. Note the word "prove". If they did everything right, they would have mountains of structure and evidence to support that they are a safe environment, not people coming out of every little crack recounting consistent stories about them. If they do everything right moving forward, they change this from being a toxicity issue to an HR issue and whether or not you believe it actually happened they make sure it can't ever happen again.

parent

hideshow 2 child comments

[–] theroz@lemmy.ml 0 points 2 years ago

You really have more sympathy for a corporate machine

This tells me everything I need to know about you.

No matter what I say, you'll never contest a single point; and we will never have any middle ground. So engaging with you will be a waste of time.

parent

[–] June@lemm.ee 21 points 2 years ago (1 child)

Her entire story rings very true for my experience at a tech startup that grew from 50 employees to 500 in 3 years. It was 100% believable for me.

parent

hideshow 2 child comments

[+] theroz@lemmy.ml -20 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Me too, though I'm not female. I've seen some of my female friends treated poorly - by clients, though, never my org. I just don't think it happened to this person. The fact that, well, they'll share the whole story to the world right now - but never told anyone else while it was occurring? Seems sketch. Doesn't jive.

That whole notion of, "I was embarrassed and couldn't tell anyone" to suddenly pronouncing accusations to the whole world over social media; as opposed to the legal authorities... seems damned sketchy to me.

parent

hideshow 4 child comments

[–] Countsheep@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 years ago

lol what? This just sounds like ignorance to me.

It’s hard for individuals to speak up by themselves, yet we all assume we would in the same situation. This seems like a simple “Gamers Nexus says something and noted complaints by some workers of a bad environment, so now I feel I can say it without more harassment”

Did we all forgot a kid killed himself from the harassment LMG fanboys brought on them?

parent

[–] PerCarita@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

Look, Madison probably talked to someone about it while it was occurring, but we're not part of her personal support group. We don't have that privilege and that's ok

parent

hideshow 2 child comments

[–] theroz@lemmy.ml 0 points 2 years ago (1 child)

But we're privy to the rest of the rant? HR or the local authorities should have been the first step. Not waiting [duration] and then shitposting.

Weak.

parent

hideshow 2 child comments

[–] PerCarita@discuss.tchncs.de 1 point 2 years ago

You'd be surprised how many women don't come forward with harassment, sexual harassment, even sexual assault cases. We often think, unfortunately, that the system is not on our side. It's not weakness, more like mistrust and fear of being re-victimised.

parent

[–] galloog1@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago (1 child)

I honestly think that it doesn't matter what we think. Perception is reality for inside the organization and outside. Let the external investigation take place. Implement policies moving forward to protect the employees, leadership, and organizational perception.

parent

hideshow 2 child comments

[+] theroz@lemmy.ml -16 points 2 years ago (1 child)

It absolutely matters. The employee chose to take accusations public, rather than following appropriate channels of either the corporate HR or legal authorities. I don't know how it works up there in Canada, but these accusations get taken seriously in the U.S.

parent

hideshow 2 child comments

[–] adrian783@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago (1 child)

corp HR is not your friend, especially in a toxic workplace. HR or the lack thereof is what enables a toxic workplace.

if you can't understand a victim just want it to blow over and never have to think about it again. then you're either severely lacking in imagination, or empathy, or both.

parent

hideshow 2 child comments

[–] theroz@lemmy.ml 1 point 2 years ago

So I guess Madison just isn't a strong person then.

parent