A private spreadsheet reportedly containing the names of "over a hundred" men accused of sexual misconduct in Silicon Valley includes prominent investors, entrepreneurs and individuals associated with major technology and artificial intelligence companies, The New York Post reported, citing people familiar with the document.
According to several individuals who have seen the spreadsheet, it forms part of an informal "whisper network" through which women in Silicon Valley privately share warnings about alleged sexual misconduct.
The accusations reportedly cover a range of alleged offences, including drugging, sexual assault and rape.
Tech Worker Says She Was Shocked By Names On List
A woman in her 20s working in the technology sector said she was surprised by the prominence of several people whose names appeared on the spreadsheet. She later shared her own account of alleged sexual misconduct after being contacted by women connected to the network.
"Some of them were very prominent names, you know? People who were famous investors. Businessmen who were in the scene, I had seen them at parties before", she said.
She said she became aware of the network only after making inquiries among women in the industry.
"I met some women who ran the 'whisper network,' it has hundreds of cases," she told The Post. "I only found out about it because I started asking around."
Fear Of Career Repercussions
Sources said such allegations are often shared privately because some women are concerned that approaching authorities or publicly naming influential figures could have consequences for their professional lives.
One woman said she feared being shut out of Silicon Valley's tightly connected investment community if her complaint did not result in action.
"I was worried that if I tried for justice in my case and I lost, I would be blacklisted from every investor in town," she said.
Allegations Linked To Silicon Valley 'Hacker Houses'
Some of the incidents described by sources allegedly occurred at "hacker houses", communal residences where founders, investors and technology workers live together while also socialising and developing professional relationships.
The close-knit nature of these communities means that people who share living spaces or attend the same gatherings may later find themselves working together as business partners, investors, colleagues or potential employers.
One Silicon Valley source alleged that some individuals use existing friendships to build trust before crossing personal boundaries.
The insider further claimed that younger women and people who had recently moved to the US or Silicon Valley could be viewed as particularly vulnerable or isolated.
The source also noted that allegations of misconduct are not necessarily limited to men as alleged perpetrators or women as alleged victims.
Yehong Zhu's Allegations Against Former Genesis Resident
Yehong Zhu, who founded the app Zette, has previously spoken publicly about an alleged rape and assault involving a former resident of the San Francisco hacker house Genesis.
Zhu reported the matter to police in December 2021. She said the man subsequently left the area and has not been found or arrested, although he continued to have connections with members of their wider social circle.
"I kept saying no [to him]," she told The Post.
Zhu said that following the alleged incident, a female acquaintance raised concerns about how an accusation could affect the man's reputation. She also alleged that a house organiser advised against immediately involving police and proposed forming a committee and conducting a vote over whether the man should be removed.
Zhu eventually approached law enforcement and attorneys and contacted people who knew the man while attempting to find him.
According to her, some people declined to intervene.
"We invested together. We did business together," she said.
Former Launch House Resident Describes Different Response
A former resident of Launch House, a Beverly Hills-based founder community, recounted a different experience after she believed she may have been drugged at a gathering.
Speaking anonymously, the woman said she had gaps in her memory from the night and later discovered that a friend had helped her get to bed.
"I had the chills and I was sweating at the same time, almost like I had the flu. And I was outside on the patio in the sun, I could not move," she told The Post.
She said other women subsequently approached her and alleged that the same man had either touched them inappropriately or made unwanted advances.
The group then raised their concerns collectively with the founders of the residence.
"They got rid of him immediately, he was kicked out of the house," the woman said.
She said co-founder Brett Goldstein and another founder met with the women, replaced the house's locks and offered help with approaching police.
The woman ultimately chose not to report the incident because she could not recall enough of what had happened and did not think witnesses could establish what took place.
"I did stay on and felt safe in the house," she added.
However, she alleged that the man later directed online activity against her and the company, including sending private messages.
"I worry that if I find any type of success that is in public, he's going to come back and make me feel even worse," she added.
Launch House Says Safety Measures Were Developed With Experts
Goldstein told The Post that Launch House no longer exists in its previous form. He said the organisation's rules concerning conduct and responses to incidents were created with assistance from external human resources and safety specialists.
"We developed Launch House's conduct policies and incident-response procedures with input from a relevant HR executive, a DEI & Safety consulting firm ... anyone running an in-person experience has a responsibility to continuously improve the safety of their operation", he said.
Concerns Over Misconduct In Closely Connected Communities
The issues described to The Post are part of a broader discussion that has existed for years around sexual misconduct and the challenges of reporting allegations within tightly interconnected professional and social communities.
In 2022, AI researcher Keerthana Gopalakrishnan wrote about allegations of sexual pressure within Effective Altruism communities.
She raised concerns about the handling of sexual-assault complaints through community-based mediation and called for clearer distinctions between coercion and consensual polyamory.
