Meta Employee Sues for Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination

Lawsuit Alleges Harassment and Discrimination at Meta

A former Meta employee has initiated legal action against the company, alleging instances of sexual harassment, sex discrimination, and retaliatory behavior. The lawsuit was filed this week within the state of Washington’s legal system.

Details of the Allegations

Kelly Stonelake, a 15-year veteran of Meta who attained the position of director, claims in the lawsuit that she experienced ongoing gender-based discrimination and harassment. This pattern reportedly began shortly after her employment commenced in 2009 and continued until her layoff in January 2024.

The suit details allegations that Meta did not adequately respond to reports of sexual harassment and assault. Furthermore, it asserts that Stonelake faced retaliation after raising concerns about a video game product’s racist content and potential harm to young players.

Stonelake also alleges she was consistently overlooked for promotions, with male colleagues on her team being favored instead.

Impact on Stonelake’s Well-being

According to the lawsuit, Stonelake was on medical leave for post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of her layoff. The alleged discriminatory environment at Meta is cited as having severely impacted her mental health, necessitating ongoing medical treatment.

The case is being heard in the King County Superior Court in Washington.

Meta’s Response

Tracy Clayton, a Meta spokesperson, stated the company would not provide comment due to the ongoing nature of the litigation.

Shifting Political Landscape at Meta

This lawsuit emerges during a period of apparent change for Meta and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, with a perceived shift towards more politically conservative stances.

Recent developments include Zuckerberg’s presence behind President Trump at his inauguration, the appointment of UFC’s Dana White – a Trump supporter and donor – to Meta’s board, and the recruitment of public policy personnel from right-leaning news sources.

Changes in Company Policies

Meta has also discontinued third-party fact-checking services and scaled back its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. These actions align with policies previously advocated by Trump.

Zuckerberg expressed on the Joe Rogan podcast a belief that workplaces require more “masculine energy,” suggesting that an excess of “feminine energy” had led to a “neutered” work environment. It’s worth noting that, as of 2023, approximately 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs were men.

Stonelake’s Perspective

Speaking with TechCrunch alongside her legal counsel, Stonelake indicated that the events outlined in her lawsuit represent a broader pattern of misconduct within Meta.

“I made the decision to pursue legal action when it became evident that it was the most effective, and potentially the only, means of holding Meta accountable,” Stonelake explained to TechCrunch. “Meta possesses the capacity to inflict harm on a scale unique to technology companies.”

“It was intended as a venue for relaxation”

Stonelake’s tenure at Facebook commenced in 2009, an era when features like the “like” button and friend tagging in status updates were newly introduced. The company had not yet undergone its initial public offering, nor had its origins been depicted in the film “The Social Network.”

Her work was based at the Palo Alto location, collaborating with colleagues significantly older than herself. She focused on developing avenues for businesses to leverage Facebook, as she conveyed to TechCrunch and detailed in her legal filing.

The lawsuit asserts that the experience of sexual harassment began almost immediately upon her employment.

According to the suit, during her initial weeks, a coworker allegedly made unwanted physical contact, specifically grabbing her crotch, during a company social event known as “League.”

“League” functioned as a popular forum for employees to socialize and de-stress amidst their demanding work schedules. High-level executives, including Zuckerberg and former COO Sheryl Sandberg, frequently participated, Stonelake stated.

“I regularly played beer pong with Sheryl [Sandberg],” Stonelake shared with TechCrunch. “The intention was for it to be a space where we could unwind, given the intensity of our work.”

Sandberg, through a spokesperson, declined to provide a comment.

Stonelake recounts being startled by the unsolicited physical advance, but expressed hesitation about reporting the incident to Facebook’s human resources department.

“This is a fairly widespread experience for women, and particularly for younger women,” Stonelake explained. “This is largely rooted in past experiences where reporting such incidents yielded no results.”

Stonelake remained with the company, initially drawn to Zuckerberg’s vision of a more interconnected global community. However, she alleges that she subsequently faced sexual harassment from her direct manager.

The lawsuit details an incident during a 2011 business trip where her manager allegedly took her to dinner and then accompanied her to her hotel room, attempting to assault her by placing his hands inside her pants. The suit further claims that this manager later implied a promotion was contingent upon a sexual relationship, and when she refused, she was denied the advancement.

She alleges that the harassment from her manager persisted, leading her to transfer from the Palo Alto office to Seattle in 2012. Prior to this transfer, she reported the manager’s behavior to human resources, but no disciplinary action was taken, and he remained employed by the company for several years, according to the lawsuit.

Career Setbacks and Allegations of Discrimination

Following a relocation to Seattle, Stonelake experienced consistent advancement within the management structure, ultimately attaining a director-level position in 2017. However, she alleges that upon reaching this role, she became the target of harassment and discrimination from her manager, reviving experiences she believed she had left behind.

The lawsuit details an incident occurring during the 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests. Stonelake reportedly addressed her manager regarding his alteration of his Facebook profile picture to display a Blue Lives Matter symbol, a counter-movement often viewed as opposing BLM.

According to the filing, Stonelake communicated her concerns about the potential impact of this image on their diverse workforce, noting that Meta considers employees’ public Facebook profiles as representative of the company’s values.

“As senior leaders, we are specifically informed that our personal Facebook pages carry significance,” Stonelake stated in an interview with TechCrunch.

The suit claims her manager responded with a statement asserting, “Black boys begin life as innocents, but between that point and encounters with law enforcement, they become involved in gangs and criminal activity, with the core problems lying in social services and education.”

Stonelake subsequently reported the incident to Meta’s human resources department, but alleges she did not receive adequate support. The complaint further asserts that she was overlooked for promotion on two separate occasions, while male counterparts were advanced.

Allegations of Unfair Treatment

The lawsuit highlights a pattern of perceived bias in the promotion process. Stonelake contends that despite her qualifications and performance, she was repeatedly denied opportunities for advancement.

Meta’s internal policies regarding employee conduct and diversity are central to the claims made in the suit. The plaintiff argues that the company failed to uphold these policies in her case.

The Facebook Profile Picture Incident

The dispute over the Facebook profile picture is a key element of the allegations. Stonelake maintains that raising concerns about the image led to negative repercussions.

The suit emphasizes the company’s stated expectation that employees, particularly those in leadership positions, maintain a professional online presence that aligns with Meta’s values.

• The incident occurred during a period of heightened social awareness surrounding racial justice.
• Stonelake expressed concern about the potential impact on team morale.
• The manager’s alleged response is cited as evidence of discriminatory attitudes.

This case raises questions about the responsibilities of employees regarding their online behavior and the role of companies in addressing potentially divisive expressions.

Concerns Raised Over Safety Protocols at Horizon Worlds

In 2022, Andrea Stonelake transitioned to Meta’s Reality Labs, assuming a leadership role in product marketing for the virtual reality social network, Horizon Worlds. She expressed initial enthusiasm regarding her involvement with a key product within Zuckerberg’s vision for the metaverse, as reported to TechCrunch.

Stonelake’s responsibilities included developing and implementing “go-to-market” strategies designed to broaden the reach of Horizon Worlds. This involved extending access to teenage users, expanding into international markets, and enabling compatibility with mobile devices.

However, while leading the product’s expansion, Stonelake voiced significant concerns regarding the inadequacy of safety measures to prevent underage users from accessing the platform. The lawsuit further alleges that she identified recurring instances of racist conduct within the app.

The suit details that a lack of effective content moderation tools contributed to the proliferation of harmful behavior. Specifically, it claims that testing revealed an average of 34 seconds elapsed before users with Black avatars were subjected to racial slurs, including derogatory terms.

“We were rapidly expanding, and we didn’t have a plan for how we would keep people safe,” Stonelake stated in an interview with TechCrunch, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

Following the raising of these concerns, Stonelake alleges she was excluded from regular weekly leadership meetings. Subsequently, in January 2023, she was reportedly denied a further promotion, as outlined in the lawsuit.

This led to Stonelake taking emergency medical leave to receive treatment for suicidal ideation and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the suit. She was later informed of her impending dismissal in January 2024, as part of broader workforce reductions at Meta.

Reflecting on her time with the company, Stonelake recalls a positive memory of Zuckerberg participating in San Francisco’s Pride celebrations in 2013 alongside LGBTQ+ employees and allies. She also cited his 2017 Harvard commencement address, where he proclaimed the expansion of inclusivity to encompass the entire world.

However, Stonelake now questions the sincerity of these actions, suggesting they may have been largely performative in nature.

“I thought that as I got more and more senior… I would only be able to protect more people to change the culture,” Stonelake explained. “My experience was that the more senior I got, so did my peers, and I noticed that the more senior men were, the less tolerance they had to be challenged.”