Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change by Ellen Pao

Ellen Pao’s book Reset is an unflinching look into the tech industry's ethical blind spots, systemic injustice, and personal experiences of the author in her journey of advocacy for inclusion and lasting change. In Reset, Pao shares her story of fighting for justice in a system largely structured to benefit those who are already privileged. She shares her experiences of being racially discriminated in the workplace and how she faced everyday sexism and exclusion from the tech world. Pao provides an eye-opening look into what it means to be the only one in a boardroom full of white men, and the subtle but pervasive ways in which the Silicon Valley evades accountability.

Reset takes readers inside the case that brought Ellen Pao to the public eye. In 2012, Pao filed a landmark sex discrimination lawsuit against venture capital giant Kleiner Perkins, a case that raised awareness around gender bias in technology and venture capital. Pao notes her journey to diversifying the tech workplace being long and fraught with resistance, yet her resilience and advocacy shows the possibility of change if we choose to confront our society’s implicit biases and create a level playing field for all.

Throughout the book, Ellen Pao reflects on the complexity and nuances of the issues and offers suggestions to start the process of inclusion and lasting change. She reflects on her own experiences to show the systemic biases women, and people of color, face on a daily basis. She discusses why the tech industry should strive to make all voices heard to create products that benefit everyone, not just the privileged few. In addition, Pao advocates for transparency, structures of accountability, and tangible action plans for diversity, inclusion and development of marginalized communities.

Pao examines the need for balance and ethics, exploring how many of the policies, goals, and economic models of technological development are harmful to society. She makes the case for bringing humanity back to the process of product and technology development, and shows how tech workers must become stewards of ethical development. Throughout the book, she encourages the reader to cultivate a deep understanding of the systems of marginalization in our society, and how all of us can challenge those systems, providing tangible examples of how to make large enterprises of technology work for everyone.

In Reset, Ellen Pao attempts to create a blueprint for lasting change in the tech industry. She invites the reader to think, question and challenge the status quo, calling out the unethical and unfair practices that remain hidden behind the façade of Silicon Valley, and inspiring us all to strive for a just, equitable and inclusive tech industry. A timely and important book, Reset is a must-read for anyone interested in hearing first-hand accounts of bias, exclusion, and injustice while also building a vision for a better future in the technology world.