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John Doerr, the most famous venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and the most involved in the employment of Ellen Pao, testifies today in her discrimination and retaliation case against the firm for the second day running.
Yesterday, Doerr was questioned by Pao’s legal team and the court’s impression of his handling of situations related to Pao and women in general was somewhat tarnished. He said he’d forgotten direct quotes supposedly said by him about Kleiner Perkins being “a firm run by men” that had been transcribed by a Kleiner Perkins-contracted investigator. Emails came out where he discussed the viability of female employees’ ability to contribute based on their having children.
But the mood swung dramatically when Doerr was questioned by his own firm’s defense team. His credentials as a champion of women in education, leadership, venture capital and board rooms were put on display. And again, Ellen Pao’s performance and interpersonal skills were challenged, despite Doerr’s continued support of her almost until the end.
Today, the trial resumes with Doerr’s continued questioning by the defense. We’ll be liveblogging as long as he’s on the stand.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
