Twitter CEO Faces Flak for Posing With ‘Smash Brahminical Patriarchy’ Placard in India

Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey recently came under social media outrage for a picture which showed him posing with a group of women and a placard that said ‘Smash Brahminical Patriarchy.’

Dorsey arrived in India on Nov 10 and since then had been visiting several places and holding meetings including a meet-up with a group of talented women, discussing the Twitter experience in India.

The meeting which was held in Delhi’s Twitter office was conducted with the motto to discuss how Twitter has been an instrumental medium in voicing women’s view, different types of struggles and the issue of online harassment.

The picture that caused the outburst conveyed the message of smashing the caste divisions as a part of dismantling patriarchy with the caption “Smash Brahminical Patriarchy.”

During Twitter CEO @jack's visit here, he & Twitter's Legal head @vijaya took part in a round table with some of us women journalists, activists, writers & @TwitterIndia's @amritat to discuss the Twitter experience in India. A very insightful, no-words-minced conversation 😊 pic.twitter.com/LqtJQEABgV

— Anna MM Vetticad (@annavetticad) November 18, 2018

Dorsey’s posing and holding the picture created a major controversy with several renowned voices criticizing Dorsey for the photo. Sandeep Mittal, an IPS officer said, “Do you realize that this picture has the potential of causing communal riots at a time when several States are going to Assembly Elections in India. Actually, it is (sic) a fit case for registration of a criminal case for attempt to destabilize (sic) the nation.”  Another Twitter user said, “Dear Jack, do u even know what that placard u were holding implied, or as many Americans ignorant abt everything outside the USA, u were happy to pose with a bunch of females, oblivious to the potential consequences of such a vaccuous social statement you thought it cool to make?”

TV Mohandas Pai, former CFO of software exporter Infosys, tweeted saying “Tomorrow if @jack is given a poster with anti-Semitic messages in a meeting, will his team allow him to hold it up?”

Later, a Twitter spokesperson stated, “The sentiments expressed on the poster do not reflect the views of Twitter as a company or Jack as the CEO, and we regret that this picture has detracted from an otherwise insightful trip to India,” Reuters quoted.

Twitter India also tweeted stating, “Recently we hosted a closed-door discussion with a group of women journalists and change makers from India to better understand their experience using Twitter. One of the participants, a Dalit activist, shared her personal experiences and gifted a poster to Jack.”

Recently we hosted a closed door discussion with a group of women journalists and change makers from India to better understand their experience using Twitter. One of the participants, a Dalit activist, shared her personal experiences and gifted a poster to Jack. https://t.co/96gd3XmFgK

— X India (@XCorpIndia) November 19, 2018