Attractive engineers cause LinkedIn stir
STAFF REPORTER, The West Australian August 5, 2013, 10:49 am
LinkedIn has been forced to re-post advertisements the business networking site originally pulled because the women pictured in them were "too attractive to be real-life engineers".
According to a News Limited report this morning, developer network TopTal posted a series of ads on the site featuring male and female staff, with the aim of attracting new clients and employees.
Florencia Antara is a TopTal employee featured in the controversial ads. Photo: TopTal
But a blog by TopTal chief executive officer Taso Du Val revealed the advertisements had been "inexplicably disabled".
"Today was a disappointing day at TopTal. We saw extreme sexism within the tech community, from an industry leader and advertising partner that we work with quite extensively: LinkedIn," he said.
The report says ads were removed because "many LinkedIn members complained about the women images" being used.
Mr Du Val was incredulous.
"My first response was, this can't be true. Are they seriously siding with people who complained to LinkedIn that our female software engineers are offensive?
"Now, mind you, these (and others) are our real engineers that we have signed contracts with. And even if they were only stock photography, who cares? The point is, they're perfectly fine and represent normal professional people. Our male versions are no different. They're male engineers, smiling, some with glasses, some without; the whole idea LinkedIn had was just ridiculous."
One of the controversial TopTal ads removed by LinkedIn. Photo: TopTal.
TopTal initially republished the ads themselves with the same images, but found they were barred from the site.
LinkedIn has now relented.
"We have taken the necessary measures to approve the previously rejected ads, and TopTal can now run them on our platform as intended," a LinkedIn spokesman said.
