Female Entrepreneur Says She Was Replaced As CEO Because She’s A ‘Brown Woman’ In Viral Video | WATCH
A video has gone viral on social media, sparking widespread discussion about race, gender, and leadership in the corporate world. In it, a female entrepreneur opens up about being replaced as the CEO of the company she co-founded, citing her identity as a key factor in the board’s decision.
According to the entrepreneur, the company’s board feared that her gender and skin color could make it harder to attract investors. The candid account has resonated with many online, with users expressing strong support for her.
In the video, she explains: “In July 2024, the board picked a white man to replace me as CEO in a company that I had co-founded and run for 10 years. And I’m going to tell you why it matters that it was a white man who replaced me.”
She detailed how investor perceptions played a role: “Your first large institutional investor will set the tone for what type of investors you can subsequently attract into the company. When you accept a significant check from a tier 2 or tier 3 investor…”
Check Out The Viral Video
The entrepreneur revealed that even investors questioned whether her identity was a barrier. “One day, one of our investors casually asked if the color of my skin or my gender was standing in the way of us raising more money. Let’s put a pin on that. Eventually, when a couple of board members decided that this guy would replace me as CEO, one of their main concerns was the optics of a white man replacing a brown woman as CEO.”
She also described internal board disagreements. “When they tried to convince the rest of the board about this swap, one of the women board members expressed discomfort with the idea of a white man replacing a brown woman as CEO.”
Initially, the board proposed that she and the new CEO would serve as co-CEOs. However, not all board members supported equal treatment. “One of the board members called me and bluntly said that we couldn’t give equal pay to both CEOs. Now they were bringing a new CEO at a certain salary, and he had the audacity, in 2024, to tell me that as a brown woman I couldn’t draw the same pay as a white man. The board couldn’t reach a decision, so they went with him as the sole CEO,” she said.
Social Media Response
The video has struck a chord with viewers. Comments flooded in praising her transparency. One user wrote, “Probably they were counting you on never recounting what happened to you but that's where they made a mistake. They messed with an articulate woman. Your storytelling is top notch. Love Listening to you even though I have nothing to do with this world..”
Another social media user highlighted the underlying bias: “These are systemic problems that are being justified simply because of how money moves. Sharing this story has the potential to bring in investors that not only believe in your tech, but also your values— which is such an underrated part of evaluating the investor match. This is a reminder of what a long way we have yet to go."
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