Chloe Shih

But then when I was more in tech in the startup period, I think I was just too like happy.

of a person like I looked too happy and then I tried to propose and people couldn't take me seriously and I was like oh okay um I wonder why it's because I look so young I look so I look too naive and like um too junior and then

I had a coworker confront me.

We had a lot of, I don't know.

It was like a weird dynamic where I think eventually he had a crush on me, but also like, didn't want to talk to me anymore because he was like getting weird about it.

Okay.

It was so, he was like, you know, I haven't been coming to the office and you know why.

Right.

And I'm like, no, like, it's like, yeah, because you've been on my mind.

And I'm like, okay, the fuck?

Like what?

and then he was like you know i i stuck up for you in front of this executive i committed career suicide for you and i'm not doing that anymore and i'm just like i never asked you you freak um so there's a lot of weird advances in the tech i don't know as a girl like you just just get some strange interactions that you don't ask for uh and then he was like maybe you don't get what you want because you're too bubbly and you know what in silicon valley

you can't be bubbly and you're not a leader and you need to be stone cold, like cold hearted, whatever, to be a leader.

And that's what that person is, this executive.

And that's not you.

You need to change.

And I'm like, fuck.

And then he left, went on the Cal train and it's a Friday night at 8 p.m.

and I'm crying in the phone booth.

Like, I don't know.