GitHub co-founder Tom Preston-Werner steps down after harassment allegations

By VCPOST Staff Reporter

Apr 21, 2014 10:43 PM EDT

GitHub president and former chief Tom Preston-Werner has resigned from his position in the company. The resignation comes after former employee Julie Horvath hurled harassment claims at Tom and other employees, according to VentureBeat.

Co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Chris Wanstrath explained in a statement: "Last month, a number of allegations were made against GitHub and some of its employees, including one of its co-founders, Tom Preston-Werner. We took these claims seriously and launched a full, independent, third-party investigation. The investigation found no evidence to support the claims against Tom and his wife of sexual or gender-based harassment or retaliation, or of a sexist or hostile work environment. However, while there may have been no legal wrongdoing, the investigator did find evidence of mistakes and errors of judgment. In light of these findings, Tom has submitted his resignation, which the company has accepted..."

Wanstrath reiterated that the investigation did not find evidence to support Horvath's allegations. Meanwhile, the company is implementing a few initiatives designed to help address employee concerns properly, the report added.

Wanstrath took Tom's place as GitHub's CEO in January. The firm announced that the latter would pour his efforts into "new growth opportunities" and research, VentureBeat reported.

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