The Drug-Fueled, Sex-Laced Parties of Silicon Valley

cnsnews.com ^ | 1/8/2018 | Nancy R. Pearcey

[rktman]

Another cultural icon bites the dust. We typically picture the movers and shakers in Silicon Valley as brilliant if geeky walking intellects hunched over their computers inventing new gadgets.

But this week Vanity Fair published a book excerpt [1] by Emily Chang revealing that Silicon Valley is as sexually debauched as Hollywood, politics, and the media. The titans of the tech world—entrepreneurs, executives, investors, founders of companies—regularly host drug-fueled, sex-laced parties.

Women in the tech industry often feel compelled to attend to get ahead in their careers. But the reality is that joining the party often stalls their careers, as they are reduced to sex objects instead of respected as whole persons. Progress? More like regress.

Chang’s book fuels the post-Weinstein wave of outrage. Yet merely exposing scandals may not “produce a revolution or a reckoning or a sea change in attitudes,” warns Jim Glassman, a journalist and former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, in another Vanity Fair piece [2].

For real reform, we have to dig deeper. A hedonistic ethic pervades all our public institutions. Universities hold sex weeks where porn stars are speakers and sex toy companies display their wares. Students attend workshops with titles like “How to Have a Successful Threesome” and “How Many Licks Does It Take?” (on oral sex). The message is: Don’t be boring. Be like porn stars.

[rktman]

WHAT! In silly cone valley? Say it ain't so. Who would have guessed?

[rktman]

NON print version:

https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/nancy-pearcey/drug-fueled-sex-laced-parties-silicon-valley

[Buckeye McFrog]

Saw a documentary about the salad days of Atari in the early 80’s.

Drugs, booze and easy women were apparently key recruiting tools to land tech talent.

“Hey, there are girls here. And they’re actually TALKING to us!”

[Paulie]

I gotta admit, I am (now past tense) one of those who thought they mostly were as the article described - intelligent workaholics who had no time and little interest in frequent drug laced orgies.

[Jeff Chandler]

[Jim W N]

Shouldn’t that be Sex-Fueled, Drug-Laced Parties of Silicon Valley?

[Buckeye McFrog]

Admit it, you know the people who came up with Windows Vista had to be high on SOMETHING.

[faithhopecharity]

these mandatory ‘parties’ apply to many, many American male and female employees for sure

the communist Chinese workers usually refuse to participate, they are still kept on the payroll because the corporations import them to pay them less than American workers

[dp0622]

“How Many Licks Does It Take?”..

For a Charms Blow Pop?

All this for a hit of dopamine and endorphins. A GREAT hit, but still just a hit if there’s no love behind it

[Jess Kitting]

Hey, there are girls here.

Shocker: Women are attracted to men with money (or maybe it's money with men).

[AnotherUnixGeek]

We typically picture the movers and shakers in Silicon Valley as brilliant if geeky walking intellects hunched over their computers inventing new gadgets.

And so they are. They don't get invited to parties like this. Attendees at these parties are the usual suspects - investment people and bankers who are now looking for investment opportunities in the tech field. These types held their orgies in Manhattan back in the '80s when Wall Street was the place to make money, in Hollywood in the '90s/00s when entertainment/media was the place to make money and now they're here to infest Silicon Valley. Meanwhile the engineers and architects who've always been the reason for Silicon Valley's existence keep their heads down, do the real work and make some money.

[Uncle Miltie]

I may be a prude, but in my 30 years in the software industry in Seattle, I never saw any of this.

Okay, at one company, I knew of two women who were sleeping around. But that’s all, ever. Pretty low incidence, I’d say.

Well, except for the Gay Company. “The Boys” had their weekends on the boat.

[taildragger]

I read the article the other day and I have to tell you...

I am stunned, we know Hollyweird was a cesspoom but I had not idea about Sillycone Valley. While the rest of us in the real world got all sorts of training and hoped we never got a call from HR because you looked at someone greater than 9 seconds, they were having Roman Orgies and worse. Where was Orkah last night, did she forget about this Vanity Fair Article or is she hoping for their Money when she runs. Hypocrites they all are, Her, HollyWeird and High Tech...

[reed13k]

I get a feeling there is a dichotomy in Silicon Valley as with other industries. The executive class that does all of the things discussed and are on the “inside” and the others who are doing most of the day-day work outside of sales and ‘strategy’.

[Buckeye McFrog]

The Atari documentary did show that once hired these guys ended up working so many hours to code to deadline, they had little time for sex.

But the recruiting process was apparently PARTY PARTY PARTY!

[Menehune56]

Here's the link to the Vanity Fair article, it's an interesting read. I lived briefly in Silicon Valley during the dot-com era and never realized what a caldron of wickedness it was.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/01/brotopia-silicon-valley-secretive-orgiastic-inner-sanctum

[fella]

Money is power and the both together are the most powerful aphrodisiac in the world. They are also very corrupting.

[allendale]

Throughout history hedonistic debauchery has followed the acquisition of great wealth. America is more prosperous but less moral.It is no a good omen. No culture has survived long when their citizens openly embrace decadence.

[Joe Dallas]

Shouldn’t that be Sex-Fueled, Drug-Laced Parties of Silicon Valley?

That makes for a much better party.

[bigbob]

“And here I was, workin’ hard for the Murican people and missed all the fun!”