The hall erupted into applause, but Mia wasn’t done.
“While I’m on a roll,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Could all the female engineers please raise a hand?”
To Mia’s delight, half of the hands went up, and she smiled, beaming.
“That’s wonderful. There are a lot of us. Girl Power!” was her rallying cry.
The women in the crowd echoed, “Girl Power!” with quite a few fists pumping up and down.
Whoa, this was getting out of control. On the one hand, I completely believe in feminism and women in tech, but on the other hand, I didn’t want a crazy rally during Mia’s first day either, filled with rabble-rousing and violence. So I stepped in then, grabbing the mic.
“Hey all, thanks for welcoming our newest employee. She’s going to be fantastic, and our security is going to be out of this world with Mia working on our team. But time is money,” I quipped, “so let’s head back to work.”
A couple playful moans rose from the crowd, but I shot a smile towards my employees, adding a pick me up.
“Today there’s steak in the cafeteria,” I threw in. “On the house, as usual, the best prime Angus. And for those who are vegan, there’s some amazing Tofurkey dressed up just like steak. So let’s get cracking, Pictogram doesn’t run itself.”
And with that, people started talking, turning away to go back to their desks.
I looked at Mia appreciatively. “Hey, that went well, don’t you think?”
She threw me a wry glance.
“I guess you didn’t want me to scream ‘Fuck Brogrammers’ at your employees, hmmm?”
I laughed because the brunette had read me right.
“Yeah,” I replied. “You’ll see what it’s like to work in a corporate environment. Sure, we’re relaxed,” I said gesturing to the open desk plan and casual clothes, “but this is still a company with lawyers ready to jump on your back at the least little infraction. As you can tell, I’m in hot water big time.”
Mia nodded, looking down for a moment before taking a deep breath.
“I’m really sorry, Theo,” she said, brown eyes meeting mine. “I know that these problems are because of me, and when I hacked in as Anonimo, I had no idea that this would happen.”
“You mean no idea that the board would get on my back for a bunch of orgy pictures?” I replied wryly.
She took another deep breath before nodding.
“I guess I always figured that this was your company, and you were the boss. Nothing happens unless you want it to, so I didn’t realize,” she said a little miserably. “The board and all these corporate ramifications never entered my calculations.”
I nodded, understanding.
“Yeah, being a CEO is a lot more complicated than it looks. From the outside, it seems like I call all the shots as a dictator, but with a company as big as Pictogram, it’s not true. We have a board that acts as a counterweight so that no one gets away with murder. Plus, we have an army of lawyers and compliance people, making sure that this and that regulation are followed. It’s just the way business works, sweetheart. You’re a student and frankly, most hackers have no idea the consequences of their actions.”
Mia nodded solemnly.
“I’m sorry Theo,” she repeated in a low voice, cheeks flushed. “I had no idea.”
And her apology touched me. Because brogrammer culture is real, an intense, high-energy environment, no one ever apologizes. Instead, people gloss over errors, trying to blame it on other factors. So Mia’s heartfelt apology really made a difference. This was a girl who was genuine and real, bringing a sense of responsibility and ownership to the process.
“It’s fine,” I said roughly. “I can handle it. I’ve been in the hot seat for a long time now, so trust me, this too will pass.”
She looked at me then, her caramel eyes shining. “Thank you, Mr. Wainwright,” she said, her voice clear and true. “I think this is going to work out just fine.”
And with that, we gazed at one another, our environment collapsing until it was just us once again, everyone else disappearing into the mist. Because this gi
rl was a dream come true – a natural beauty, casually clad in sneakers and jeans, with a plump form like Venus rising from the waves. But also smart, with the brains to challenge any brogrammer here.
And best of all, Mia was humble. She knew when she was out of her comfort zone, and wasn’t afraid to admit it. That took guts in this culture, where everyone’s always trying to one up each other.