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Pinterest pays $22.5M in gender discrimination case

December 15, 2020

Former chief operating officer Francoise Brougher brought her case against the San Francisco-based company in August. She says she was sidelined after raising concerns about sexist conduct at the firm.

https://p.dw.com/p/3mk0R
The statue of the "Fearless Girl" looks toward the facade of the New York Stock Exchange decorated for the Pinterest IPO, Thursday, April 18, 2019.
Image: Richard Drew/AP Photo/picture alliance

Social media firm Pinterest will hand $22.5 million (€18 million) to a senior female executive who was fired after she pushed for equal pay.

Francoise Brougher, the former chief operating officer, brought the gender discrimination case in August after being fired in April.

Details of the settlement appeared in regulatory filings by the tech firm late on Monday.

Brougher said she was also excluded from meetings when she raised concerns about fair renumeration and sexist comments made in the workplace.

San Francisco-based Pinterest said the payment was part of the company's efforts to "improve its culture."

The case came amid other criticism from Black female former staff.

Brougher, 55, worked at Pinterest from March 2018 until her firing in April. She ran a team of roughly 1,000 people.

Pinterest provides fresh inspiration like food recipes, home decor ideas and fashion trends.
Pinterest provides fresh inspiration like food recipes, home decor ideas and fashion trendsImage: Rich Polk/Getty Images

In a statement, Brougher said that she welcomed "the meaningful steps Pinterest has taken to improve its workplace environment.

She will donate $2.5 million of the settlement to organizations that help women and minorities working in Silicon Valley.

Pinterest said it "recognizes the importance of fostering a workplace environment that is diverse, equitable and inclusive and will continue its actions to improve its culture. Some of its staff walked out when Brougher made her accusations public.

Pinterest, a virtual bulletin board platform, with users decorating their boards with pictures showcasing interests including food, fashion, travel and lifestyle. It also enables users to link to online shopping and other services to find items they have "pinned." It launched in 2010. 

jf/msh (AFP, AP)