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Female Engineer Sues Tesla Over Sexist Culture

News of the lawsuit follows allegations of sexism and sexual harassment at Uber.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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A female Tesla employee is suing the electric car maker over what she calls "pervasive harassment" against women at the company, the latest revelation about sexism in Silicon Valley.

AJ Vandermeyden, 33, is accusing Tesla of paying her less than her male counterparts, denying women promotions in favor of less qualified men, and retaliating when she brought up these issues, according to The Guardian. Vandermeyden, who still works at the company, filed the lawsuit last fall, but it's just coming to light now.

"Until somebody stands up, nothing is going to change," Vandermeyden said in an interview with the news outlet. "I'm an advocate of Tesla. I really do believe they are doing great things. That said, I can't turn a blind eye if there's something fundamentally wrong going on."

She started working for Tesla in 2013 and was later promoted to a manufacturing engineering position in the general assembly department. In her complaint, Vandermeyden reportedly alleges that she was paid less than her male predecessors, was commonly the only woman in meetings with 40 to 50 men, and was often snubbed when complaining about the sexist work culture.

She recounted one incident to The Guardian when she and another female colleague were harassed as they walked past a group of 20 men. "They all started hooting and hollering and whistling," she reportedly said. "That can't happen without somebody noticing … It's disturbing."

After complaining about sexual harassment, she said higher ups told her the only way to advance in her position was to reach a performance standard she deemed unattainable and said was not expected of males in her position. She eventually transferred out of general assembly to the purchasing department.

We've reached out to Tesla but have yet to hear back. In a statement, the car maker told The Guardian that it "understands the importance of fostering an inclusive workplace," and said "there is more we can do to promote diversity.

"As with any company with more than 30,000 employees, it is inevitable that there will be a small number of individuals who make claims against the company, but that does not mean those claims have merit," Tesla added, according to the report.

News of the lawsuit comes after former Uber engineer Susan J. Fowler recently posted a scathing blog post describing a culture of sexism and sexual harassment at the company. Among other claims, Fowler said a male manager solicited sex over company chat, and was only given a "stern stalking-to." Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has pledged to "conduct an independent review" into allegations that upper management at the company ignored incidents of sexual harassment.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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