Tech's Gay Networks Support Each Other's Success

Silicon Valley's open secret just got a thoughtful examination, and the story is more nuanced than you'd expect.

Reporter Zoë Bernard spent months interviewing 51 people to understand how gay men at tech's highest levels have created their own networks of support. The results paint a picture of community building that's both inspiring and complicated.

"The gays who work in tech are succeeding vastly," one angel investor told Wired. "They support each other, whether that's to hire someone or angel invest in their companies or lead their funding rounds."

It's a pattern as old as business itself. Every professional group has its preferred spaces for networking, and gay men in tech have created theirs.

The investigation involved 31 gay men sharing their experiences in an industry where connections often determine who gets funded, hired, or promoted. These networks have helped lift talented people who might otherwise face barriers in a male-dominated field.

One source drew a direct comparison: "Straight guys have the golf course. Gay guys have the orgy. It doesn't mean it's problematic. It's a way we bond and connect."

The Bright Side

What makes Bernard's reporting valuable is that she doesn't stop at celebration. Nine men described experiencing unwanted advances from more senior colleagues, showing how power imbalances can corrupt even well-intentioned networks.

The piece threads a careful needle. It acknowledges real concerns about coercion while refusing to paint an entire community with a broad brush.

"This is a complex subject and I don't think readers can draw the distinction between some bad men being gay and all gay men being bad," one source cautioned. "It can be a slippery slope into homophobia."

The investigation arrives at a moment when tech is slowly becoming more diverse. Understanding how different groups build power matters for creating fairer systems.

These networks have genuinely helped talented people advance in an industry that hasn't always welcomed them. At the same time, any concentration of power deserves scrutiny about how it's wielded.

The real win here is the conversation itself: honest reporting that celebrates community while holding everyone to ethical standards, regardless of identity.