Women of steel

Geetu Vaid

Can women have it all? Well, while views can differ here, it is difficult to deny that  there is something immensely inspirational in the stories of women leaders who have battled against all odds to make a difference in their sphere of work.  And it is these stories that need to be told. Award winning journalist Julian Gutherie’s Alpha Girls celebrates the grit and determination of four women who changed the equation of investment scene in the male-dominated Silicon Valley.  

The Alpha girls who challenged the men-dominated C-suites include: Magdalena Yesil, the ‘force’ behind Salesforce; Mary Jane Elmore, the first female partner in Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) ;  Theresia Gouw, whose journey started with Accel and who helped build companies including Facebook, Trulia, Imperva, and ForeScout; and Sonja Hoel, the first woman investing partner at Menlo Ventures. 

Spanning over a period of 38 years, Julian traces the stories of each one these outstanding women from their first struggle for recognition to being successful and the way they handled the challenges of beating the competition and staying on top of their game. 

The author’s journalistic acumen, a keen eye for detail and meticulous weaving of facts and events makes it an enchanting read. Each of the nine parts that the book is divided into highlights an important phase in the lives of each one of these business divas, while also touching on the personality traits and values that made them remarkable leaders. Setting the tone with Getting in the Game, Julian gives readers a peep into the nerves of steel and the shrewd business acumen in Survival of the Fittest. The chapter on Marriage, Motherhood, and Moneymaking is touching and heart-warming as one witnesses the struggle and hard work that has gone into juggling high-stake careers and emotional family ties. 

In spite of the difference in country and culture from where the stories have been plucked, the writer beautifully captures the universality of the struggles that women have to face in establishing their identities, be it in the work space or at home. With its share of #MeToo, Silicon Valley tech space is no different when it comes to setting stereotyped boundaries for women. Battling this, and especially as Venture Capitalists need a thick skin and nerves of steel. On hearing about the rumours about her sleeping her way to get big deals, Theresia Gouw’s response gives a peek into the stuff that these leaders are made of, “She’d spent enough time in the tech industry to know that successful women disturbed the natural male hierarchy. In the male-dominated world of video games, men were rattled by winning girl games. The one’s who attacked the females on the leader’s board were the male players who were struggling to make the cut, who thought they could raise themselves up by taking the women ahead of them down. These poorer performers were not threatened by losing to successful male gamers that was the natural order. But losing to a woman was embarrassing in some way. Theresia realised that manslaying was a problem in the minds of men, it was their problem, not hers.” 

This prism of empathy makes this book a must read. 

Disturbing, yet familiar and still not fiercely feminist, that is Julian Guthrie’s Alpha Girls for you.