In an essay posted to Re/code on Thursday, Ellen Pao confirmed that she won't appeal a jury's decision rejecting her claims of gender discrimination and retaliation by venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. She wrote:
Seeking justice in the courts has been painful for me personally and professionally, and for my family. I am now moving on, paying Kleiner Perkins’ legal costs and dropping my appeal. My experience shows how difficult it is to address discrimination through the court system.
The trial received national attention when it began in February 2015, almost three years after Pao originally filed suit.
Pao worked as a partner at Kleiner Perkins from 2005 until she was fired in 2012. In the suit, she claimed she wasn't promoted in retaliation for ending an affair with a married colleague, as she watched men with similar skills rise through the company's ranks.
Kleiner Perkins argued Pao wasn't competent at her job. In March, a San Francisco Superior Court jury ruled in favor of the company.
Pao eventually went on to work for Reddit, where she was appointed interim CEO in November 2014. She held the position until July, when she resigned following the closure of a number of popular subreddits and the controversial firing of Victoria Taylor, who coordinated the site's much loved Ask Me Anything feature.