Stop Erasing Women From Tech History

Whitney Wolfe and the invisible women in tech

Whitney Wolfe is one of the co-founders of Tinder.

These were the business cards she carried.

So how is it she wasn’t mentioned once in the 30-slide explainer “A Brief History Of Tinder” published on TechCrunch just a few weeks ago?

Most of us hadn’t heard of her until Monday, when the news came out that she is suing the company and its majority owner, IAC/InterActiveCorp, for sexual harassment and discrimination. One of the lawyers told the New York Times that in addition to equity and lost compensation, the purpose of the lawsuit is “to make sure that her role as a woman leader in the company isn’t erased from history.”

In November 2013, fellow co-founders Justin Mateen and Sean Rad removed her co-founder title. She was forced to resign in April.

The complaint is difficult to read, suggesting repugnant abuse and coercion took place. Especially chilling are the moments described when Wolfe asked for help. Rad, the CEO, apparently told her she was being “emotional” and “dramatic” when she complained. Her job, he…