Ellen Pao
Born 1970 · Age 56
American lawyer, investor, technologist and activist; former interim CEO of Reddit (2014–2015); plaintiff in a high‑profile gender discrimination suit against Kleiner Perkins (2012–2015); cofounder and CEO of nonprofit Project Include (since 2016); author of Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in New Jersey
Ellen Kangru Pao was born in New Jersey to Taiwanese-American immigrant parents (Tsyh‑Wen Lee and Young‑Ping Pao).
Learned to code from her mother
First learned computer programming from her mother (a computer scientist/engineer) at around age 10.
Father Young‑Ping Pao died
Her father, a professor at NYU's Courant Institute, died during Ellen's final year of high school.
Graduated Columbia High School (Maplewood, NJ)
Completed secondary education at Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey.
Graduated Princeton University (BA) & senior thesis
Graduated from the Woodrow Wilson School (Princeton) with a 143‑page senior thesis titled 'Computer Databases and Business: An Analysis of Informational Privacy.' Served as managing editor for The Daily Princetonian during undergrad.
Earned J.D. from Harvard Law School
Completed Juris Doctor degree at Harvard Law School.
Joined Cravath, Swaine & Moore as corporate attorney
Worked as a corporate attorney at Cravath from 1994 to 1996 after law school.
Left law practice to attend Harvard Business School
After ~2 years practicing law, returned to school for an MBA.
Earned MBA from Harvard Business School
Completed Harvard Business School (MBA, 1998).
Joined WebTV
Worked at WebTV in 1998 (post‑MBA role in tech).
Joined BEA Systems as Senior Director, Corporate Business Development
Served as Senior Director of Corporate Business Development at BEA Systems from 2001 until 2005.
Joined Kleiner Perkins as technical chief of staff
Hired at Kleiner Perkins as technical chief of staff to John Doerr — a role requiring engineering, law and business experience.
Became junior investing partner at Kleiner Perkins
Elevated to a junior investing partner role reporting to partner Ted Schlein in 2007.
Led Kleiner Perkins' expansion into China
While at Kleiner Perkins, Pao led the firm's expansion efforts into China (timeframe: during her years as a junior partner).
Named a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute
Appointed a Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute on recommendation of John Doerr (trustee).
Married Alphonse 'Buddy' Fletcher
Married investor Buddy Fletcher in December 2007 in San Francisco after meeting through Aspen Institute activities.
Birth of daughter
Ellen Pao and Buddy Fletcher had a daughter born in July 2008.
Buddy Fletcher's investment firm enters Chapter 11 (reported)
Buddy Fletcher's firm faced bankruptcy/financial/legal troubles in 2012 (contextual event affecting household finances).
Filed gender discrimination lawsuit vs. Kleiner Perkins
On May 10, 2012, Ellen Pao filed suit alleging gender discrimination and retaliation by Kleiner Perkins.
Stopped working at Kleiner Perkins (left/payroll transition)
Continued to work at Kleiner Perkins until October 1, 2012; disputes over termination and a proposed transition were part of the lawsuit.
Joined Reddit as head of business development & partnerships
Hired at Reddit in 2013 to lead business development and strategic partnerships; helped strengthen ties with Imgur.
Reddit raised $50M in private funding (company milestone)
Reddit completed a private $50 million financing round (reported as 'last year' in a July 2015 article), valuing the company around $500M (context for Pao's tenure).
Implemented no‑negotiation salary approach (two final offers)
As part of hiring changes, Pao adopted a policy of providing two final offers (more cash vs more equity) to reduce gender salary negotiation penalties.
Named interim CEO of Reddit
Became interim CEO of Reddit in November 2014 after Yishan Wong resigned.
Pao v. Kleiner Perkins trial begins (late Feb 2015)
High‑profile discrimination suit against Kleiner Perkins went to trial in late February 2015; trial lasted approximately 24 days.
Reddit bans revenge porn (policy change)
In March 2015 Reddit banned revenge porn and non‑consensual intimate images; other social networks followed suit.
Jury rules for Kleiner Perkins in discrimination case
On March 27, 2015 a jury decided the case in favor of Kleiner Perkins on all counts.
Kleiner Perkins seeks legal costs after trial
Following the verdict Kleiner Perkins sought $972,814 in legal costs from Pao.
Pao files notice of appeal in Kleiner Perkins case
On June 1, 2015 Pao filed an appeal of the verdict (filed within the deadline).
Reddit bans five subreddits for harassment
On June 10, 2015 Reddit announced that five communities, including r/FatPeopleHate (reported ~150,000+ subscribers), were banned for fostering off‑site harassment.
Judge rules Pao liable for reduced legal costs
On June 18 a judge ordered Pao to pay $275,966 in legal costs after considering economic resources under Fair Employment and Housing Act.
Victoria Taylor dismissed and sitewide moderator protest
Victoria Taylor (Reddit director of talent) was fired; on July 2, 2015 many large subreddits went private in protest, intensifying backlash against Reddit leadership.
Change.org petition against Pao peaks
A Change.org petition calling for her removal peaked at roughly 200,000 signatures amid the Reddit controversy.
Issued apology amid Reddit backlash
Pao issued apologies (short form July 3 and longer post July 6) for poor communication and other failures during the Reddit controversy.
Resigned as CEO of Reddit
On July 10, 2015 Ellen Pao resigned from Reddit 'by mutual agreement' and was replaced by co‑founder Steve Huffman.
Case closed without payment to Kleiner Perkins
Within a week after stating she wouldn't appeal, when she formally dropped her appeal Kleiner Perkins filed to close the case without Pao paying the legal costs per its original announcement.
Publicly decided not to pursue appeal (Re/code post)
On September 10, 2015 she announced via Re/code she was deciding not to appeal but discussed legal cost issues and non‑disparagement stipulations.
Spoke at 2015 MA Conference for Women
Appeared as a speaker at the 2015 Massachusetts Conference for Women (recorded Dec 20, 2015).
Cofounded Project Include (nonprofit)
In 2016 Ellen Pao co‑founded Project Include, a nonprofit diversity consulting organization focused on data‑driven HR recommendations for startups.
Announced plan to finish memoir before full‑time job
In May 2016 Pao announced she planned to finish her memoir before seeking full‑time employment.
Book acquired by Spiegel & Grau (Reset)
In June 2016 her memoir was acquired by Spiegel & Grau and titled Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change.
Reset shortlisted for FT & McKinsey Business Book of the Year
Her memoir Reset was shortlisted for the 2017 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award.
Joined Kapor Capital as partner; CDIO at Kapor Center
Became a partner at Kapor Capital and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at the Kapor Center for Social Impact in 2017.
Left Kapor Center/Capital to focus on Project Include
Departed Kapor roles in 2018 to dedicate herself to being CEO of Project Include.
Marriage/divorce proceedings (reported)
As of 2019 Pao and Buddy Fletcher were reported to be in divorce proceedings; their marriage (Dec 2007) had produced one daughter.
Spoke at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2019
Appeared onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco (photo captioned Oct 4, 2019).
Publicly criticized Reddit leadership (tweet)
On June 2, 2020 Pao tweeted criticizing Reddit CEO Steve Huffman for his handling of hate and racism on the platform.
New York Times op‑ed on Elizabeth Holmes trial & sexism in tech
Wrote an op‑ed (Sept 15, 2021) arguing accountability in the Holmes trial and broader patterns of gendered accountability in tech.
Profile pieces & continued advocacy
Multiple profiles and interviews (e.g., Medium, Minority Business Review) continue to document her work leading Project Include and advocating for diversity in tech.
Key Achievement Ages
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