Inside a powerful Silicon Valley charity, a toxic culture festered

cnbc.com ^ | 5/11/2018 | David Gelles

[rktman]

As Silicon Valley technology executives have amassed enormous fortunes in recent years, one relatively obscure group — the Silicon Valley Community Foundation — has emerged as the local charity of choice.

Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, has donated stock worth more than $1.8 billion to the foundation. Reed Hastings, the founder and chief executive of Netflix, has given $100 million. And many other tech titans, including the Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and Microsoft's co-founder Paul Allen, have donated millions.

According to interviews with a half dozen former and current employees, some of whom only agreed to do so on the condition of anonymity, Mari Ellen Loijens, the foundation's top fund-raiser, routinely bullied and demeaned colleagues, made sexually and racially insensitive remarks and at times even threatened physical violence.

The employees say that Emmett Carson, the foundation's chief executive, ignored multiple complaints about abusive behavior by Ms. Loijens because she was responsible for much of the organization's growth.

[rktman]

What! Turmoil in silly cone valley! How can that be? We've been informed repeatedly how awesomely inclusive and tolerant these folks are.

[BenLurkin]

2 billion dollars.

Just d-mn

[rktman]

Yup. Just think. They could almost solve glowbull warming with money like that. LOL! Then the bears could sleep in.

[Amberdawn]

Yeah, they get rich partly by selling to Conservative people, then they ban us on their web sites. I hope they all crash.

[Responsibility2nd]

Is there any charity anywhere run by leftists that is not corrupt, self-serving, oriented towards liberal causes and ultimately lines the pockets of rich elitist liberal‘s?

I didn’t think so.

[antidisestablishment]

We need to abolish all non-profit organization exemptions across-the-board. They need to be held to the same laws as everyone else. There’s nothing inherently good about non-profit—in fact it’s anti-American at the core. These money-laundering projects are a clear and present danger to our country.

Before you start railing about your good charity, tell me if you’d stop donating because you lost your tax write off.

[TLI]

Yet to her colleagues, Ms. Loijens was known as a bully who regularly made offensive remarks.

During one meeting, Ms. Dupras said she mentioned to the group that she wasn't feeling well, eliciting a sexually charged retort from Ms. Loijens.

"She said I was pretty good looking and might be pregnant," Ms. Dupras said. "She said, 'You might want to get that checked out.'"

Elizabeth Dressel, who left the foundation in 2012, said that one evening, a young black woman on her team was working late. Ms. Loijens approached the young woman and said, "O.K. slave, come into my office."

At another meeting, Ms. Dupras said Ms. Loijens threatened her staff. Employees were supposed to take meetings with donors or their advisers in pairs, but Ms. Loijens learned that someone had met with a donor without a partner.

"Then she said, 'If I ever catch you having a meeting by yourself, I'll kill you,'" Ms. Dupras said.

And there you have it.

Proglib comrat.

Absolutely convinced of their superiority above all others.

Believes they should rightfully have the power and authority of life and death.

Probably wants the United States to implement socialism on a nationwide scale...

.

[Snickering Hound]

Elizabeth Dressel, who left the foundation in 2012, said that one evening, a young black woman on her team was working late. Ms. Loijens approached the young woman and said, "O.K. slave, come into my office."

Liberal privilege in action.

[Jan_Sobieski]

Charity?

More like a political action committee!

[rktman]

My white privilege is offended and hurt.

[pas]

I agree.

[Grampa Dave]

Just added a few more realities to your excellent reply!

Is there any charity, city, county, state, or business anywhere run by leftists that is not corrupt, self-serving, oriented towards liberal causes and ultimately lines the pockets of rich elitist liberal‘s?

[aquila48]

All great examples of toxic femininity.

[texas booster]

And yet when Pence meets with ladies in pairs, he gets ridiculed.

Yet another double standard.

[aquila48]

Doesn't she just ooze charity?

[Freee-dame]

I agree with you 100%. End all special laws for non-profits. No one of ordinary means will stop donating to an actual charity if they lose their tax deduction.

[rktman]

Looks like she may ooze something.

[Responsibility2nd]

Quit spewing left this drivel. Liberals would love nothing more than to have right wing and religious charities disappear so that the State can take care of our social problems. That is what welfare is for; to replace charities. Do you really want Big Government taking care of our needs.

Not me.

[Responsibility2nd]

See my post 18. I would argue that removing tax breaks for charities will do more harm than good. The welfare state must not be allowed to grow and prosper. Making things harder for charities would only add to and increase the need for a socialist welfare state.

[Utah Binger]

We founded the Thunderbird Foundation twenty years ago.

How about sending a billion or two our way? Historic preservation is important too! We escaped Silicon Valley and their leftie elitists.