Key figures in the Australian business and startup community have spoken out about the prevalence of in the local ecosystem and put forward ideas to combat this, after this week’s news of inappropriate behaviour from 500 Startups’ co-founder Dave McClure.
Investors, startup incubators, business figures and women in the tech sector have shared stories of bad behaviour and what to do about this using the hashtag #brolash.
My article on sexual harassment in #startupaus: “If you see something, say something.” https://t.co/qLzMyvshRX #brolash @BridgyL @lants
— Alex McCauley (@alexmccauley) July 3, 2017
Every day I worry about two things: being harassed in my work, and ruining my career by calling out inappropriate behaviour. #Brolash
— Ophelie Lechat (@OphelieLechat) July 1, 2017
On Monday StartupSmart reported LaunchVic had put startup accelerator 500 Startups “on notice” after it was revealed the organisation’s co-founder Dave McClure came to Melbourne in June to launch a Melbourne branch of the organisation, despite already having been stood down as head of the operation over concerns around his actions towards women.
Yesterday more than 60 business founders and investors signed a document pledging to call out harassment and poor treatment of colleagues in the Australian technology and startup sectors.
The federal government has asked the Productivity Commission to undertake a four-month review into how GST could be collected on low-value online purchases, after the bill to apply the GST to all online purchases of $1000 or less passed the Senate last month.
Global online retailers including ASOS and Amazon have opposed the change and there is dissent on how best to collect the GST from marketplace platforms like Amazon, with the multinationals insisting this should be done by logistics companies like Australia Post instead of by the platforms themselves.
The legislation means from July 1, 2018 GST will apply to all small purchases bought from overseas suppliers online. The commission has been charged with holding consultations on collection methods and reporting back at the end of October.
Tesla founder Elon Musk has enthusiastically tweeted the news that his mass-market electric vehicle the Tesla Model 3 will start production on schedule, with the first cars entering production on Friday.
The New York Times reports there could be challenges ahead for Tesla around ensuring it has enough battery packs to complete orders, but that the Model 3 rollout would be a significant feat for the tech company the whole world watches closely.
Wanted to say thanks to all that own or ordered a Tesla. It matters to us that you took a risk on a new car company. We won’t forget.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 3, 2017
On Twitter this morning, Musk thanked customers for their faith in the new technology and its potential future impact.
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