An uncomfortable private jet trip allegedly shows the locker-room culture at Kleiner Perkins
We're learning more about Ellen Pao's working environment at Kleiner Perkins, thanks to trial testimony from managing partner Ted Schlein.
Pao, a former junior partner at Kleiner, is seeking $16 million in damages from the firm for gender discrimination.
Schlein recalled a private jet trip to New York with Pao and Dan Rosensweig, the CEO of Chegg, a company Kleiner had invested in.
Rosensweig allegedly kept the conversation around Playboy, Victoria's Secret, and other "very offensive sexual topics," according to Pao's trial brief.
"Dan said he met with Christie Hefner at the Playboy mansion," testified Schlein. "Dan is a boisterous type."
Schlein didn't do much to rein in Rosensweig.
"I don't remember trying to stop it," he said.
Pao's attorney, Alan Exelrod, mentioned the incident to paint a picture of the environment she worked in at Kleiner.