[TGJ]

Hard to tell if this person didn't simply walk into the event completely hyped up on a female gathering walked in and saw men and put up a wall immediately. From there did she simply see everything from a biased view because she was disappointed in not attending her hopeful venue?

[jbooth]

Well, assuming the story's accurate, the event's pitched with Mrs Livingston's name, billed as a meetup for female founders, then she gets there and it's 4 dudes telling them how to be successful in business? I'd be pissed, too. I wouldn't go as far as "sexist" but maybe "put on a really crappy Female Founders event".

[Dylanlacey]

I think this was the greater crime, that a disparity existed between what Y Combinator was offering and what they were perceived as offering.

I wonder if Ms Livingston or other women founders were perhaps unable to make it, or if there was a greater flaw in choosing the advisors. It may be that, rather then being sexist, Y Combinator is strenuously avoiding the issue of gender, and it just so happens that most of their founders are men. In fact, I think this dinner might have been about that issue...

I also think that the issue of having all the woman there as "Paid Attendees" and the men as "Advisors" is less an issue then it seems... It's a fallout issue of their not being any woman founders (and there might be fair or foul reasons why THAT happened). It was an event where ONLY women could pay to go, so naturally all the Paid Attendees were women.

Calling the behaviour sexist (Because the ? is really only there to soften the blow) without all the information would one of the least respectful forms of criticism... Using terms charged with negative emotions in lieu of thoughtful criticisms.