Vijaya Gadde
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. (March 2019) |
Vijaya Gadde | |
|---|---|
| Born | India |
| Nationality | American |
Vijaya Gadde is an Indian-American who serves as the global lead for legal, policy, and trust and safety at Twitter.[1] In 2014, she was described by Fortune as the only woman on Twitter's executive team, though she is now joined by Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Berland.[2][3]
Early life and education
Gadde was born in India.[2] Her father pursued graduate studies in the United States and initially did not have the financial means to send for his wife and daughter until Gadde turned three.[4] Her family moved to Beaumont, Texas.[5] She has described Beaumont as a small town with few other Indian families.
Gadde received a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and her JD from New York University's law school.[6][2]
Career
Before joining Twitter in 2011, Gadde spent nearly a decade working at the Silicon Valley law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, then spent time as Senior Director in the legal department of Silicon Valley technology firm Juniper Networks.[6][4] While at WSGR, Gadde worked on the 2006 $4.1 billion McClatchy Co.-Knight Ridder Inc. acquisition and acted as counsel to the New York Stock Exchange’s Proxy Working Group and Committee on Corporate Governance.[5][6]
At Twitter, Gadde has made privacy and opposing the censorship of Twitter internationally policy priorities, notably by filing suit to oppose the 2014 Turkish ban of Twitter.[5] She has also announced Twitter's hiring of researchers to study the health of discourse on the platform.[7]
In 2018, Gadde joined Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey for meetings in India where they talked with several Dalit activists about their experiences on Twitter; after the meeting, the activists gave Dorsey a sign reading "Smash Brahminical Patriarchy," which he was later photographed holding.[8] The photograph attracted controversy, with some critics calling the sentiment discriminatory against Brahmins while others deemed it an appropriate response to caste- and gender-based oppression in India.[8] Gadde responded to the social media furor with an apology in a series of tweets, "I'm very sorry for this. It's not reflective of our views. We took a private photo with a gift just given to us - we should have been more thoughtful. Twitter strives to be an impartial platform for all. We failed to do that here & we must do better to serve our customers in India."[8]
On March 5, 2019, Gadde appeared on episode #1258 of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast hosted by Joe Rogan, alongside Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and journalist Tim Pool, to discuss allegations that Twitter was engaging in censorship of free speech and had a social and political bias.[9]
References
- ^ "After Twitter snub, Piyush Goyal says LS speaker, RS chairman will decide next course of action". The Indian Express. 2019-02-09. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
- ^ a b c "Vijaya Gadde". Fortune. 2014-10-09. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
- ^ Wagner, Kurt (2017-08-24). "Twitter CMO Leslie Berland is also taking over human resources as the new 'Head of People'". Recode. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
- ^ a b "Twitter's top female exec on discrimination and overcoming adversity". Fortune. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
- ^ a b c Frier, By Sarah (2014-05-13). "Twitter's Vijaya Gadde Fights for Free Speech, Revenue". News India Times. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
- ^ a b c "Vijaya Gadde: "From Texas to Twitter" | NYU School of Law". www.law.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
- ^ O'Brien, Sara Ashley (2018-07-30). "Twitter hires researchers to study the 'health' of its 'discourse'". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
- ^ a b c "Twitter CEO trolled for 'smash Brahminical patriarchy' placard". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
- ^ "Joe Rogan Experience #1258 - Jack Dorsey, Vijaya Gadde & Tim Pool". March 5, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.