The article is an editor's letter from WIRED examining persistent gender discrimination in Silicon Valley and media. The author recounts her 17-year career encountering sexism—from inappropriate comments about her appearance to pay discrimination and denial of credit for her work. The piece highlights how deeply ingrained these gender dynamics remain despite incremental progress, and notes that women of colour, LGBTQ+ women and transgender women face even greater barriers.

Since WIRED's founding in 1993, analysis found the magazine had published 70 covers featuring men versus only four celebrating women's professional accomplishments. The author describes specific incidents including being told she seemed "too cold" to be a parent, inappropriate jokes about her pregnancy, attempts to pay her significantly less than male predecessors, and having her contributions credited to male colleagues. WIRED is dedicating an entire 2026 issue to women's advancement in technology and science, born from what started as a joke amongst staff but evolved into serious commitment.