Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Scrolling through the site and hitting up various profiles, I realized what Theo said was right. I was definitely in the minority. Users were dying to be the next Kim Kardashian and selling their personal “brands.” It was literally the main reason most people even used the app.
I followed the profile of a Picto-famous girl from last year, recognizing her from an interview on a hilarious political commentary show on The Comedy Channel. Interestingly, this woman had spun her Picto-fame into being a huge proponent of environmental protection. Her photo uploads often offered educational tidbits about the environment and ways to get involved.
Hmm. That was food for thought. Suddenly I felt dumb.
Because my assumption had been that most Picto-famous It Girls were scantily clad women who featured designer clothes and vacations in their photos. They wanted you to be envious of their lifestyles, putting forth an aspirational brand. But I’d been pleasantly surprised. Activists were just as often Picto-famous celebrities, pitching meaningful messages and not just products.
I searched for Theo’s profile and found that it was private. Well after what Anonimo had done to him, it was understandable. I’d make my profile private too given what had happened, but with a press of a button, a friend request buzzed his way.
Sure enough, a little after noon, Theo messaged me on the site.
TheoW: Thought I’d never see the day you’d be on here. What do you think?
MiAnonimo: Honestly, it’s an awesome product. Nowhere near as awful as I thought. The technological engineering is phenomenal.
TheoW: Thanks, glad to hear. Wish I could take you to lunch today, but have an important meeting.
MiAnonimo: I understand :) It’s not a problem.
TheoW: You were awesome up on the stage this morning btw. I wanted to kiss you in front of everyone.
MiAnonimo: Glad you didn’t! It’s my first day. ;)
TheoW: Can I see you later?
My stomach fluttered with butterflies. Theo wanted to see me again? Twice in one day? Eagerly, I wrote back.
MiAnonimo: Yes def. Sounds good. :)
The rest of the day, several other female programmers approached my desk. My Picto-fame hadn’t worn off yet, but it was actually quite nice. I was meeting more people in one day than I normally ever would walking around campus. Instead of the girl that no one noticed, I actually felt like people could see the real Mia for a change. An intelligent, hard-working brunette who actually wanted to make the world a better place.
By the afternoon, I’d met so many Pictogram employees that it was mind-boggling, men and women both. Everyone had been super nice, going out of there way to say hello. What a surprise. There clearly were not a lot of brogrammers at Pictogram, or if there were, they were avoiding me like the plague knowing my reputation.
Theo had done a good job. Company culture starts from the top, and he’d made it clear that female programmers were just as valued as men.
I appreciated that, and my respect for the CEO grew. It would have been so easy to turn this into another Silicon Valley frat house, but instead, Theo had made sure that his company as fair and open-minded.
Wow. Listen to me. I’d gone from outraged hacker to fawning fan in a couple weeks flat. No wonder this guy always got what he wanted.
But there were still surprises that first day. Late afternoon, I was working on a patch for the security infrastructure when my cell rang. Frowning, I stared at the unidentified number before remember that Theo and I were supposed to meet up. With a breathless smile, I answered.
“Hello?”
A sharp voice sliced through the air. “Mia, the Marc Janow people are here.”
Looking around confused, I asked, “I’m sorry. Who is this? What? What Marc Janow people?”
The voice dripped pure poison. “This is Penny, Theo’s assistant. You have a photo shoot today with Marc Janow, in case you forgot.”
Her nasty tone cut, but I didn’t let it get to me.
“I wasn’t aware of a photo shoot,” I said. “No one told me about this.”
Penny’s voice grew even more sour.
“Oh no, did I forget to tell you?” she simpered. “I must have totally forgotten to send you the info. I’m sorry. Hope you aren’t in the middle of something important.” Her voice then hardened into obsidian. “They’re here waiting for you in conference room, 18B. I’d get there pronto.”
“Right now?” I asked in alarm, casting an eye at the unfinished work.
She sighed again dramatically. “Yes. Right now. Chop chop.” Then, the line went dead with a click.
Holy shit, this Penny person was awful. Clearly, the woman was territorial, viewing Theo as hers alone, but I wasn’t going to let it get to me. My whole spiel was female empowerment, and there was no point in fighting with one of your sisters so early on.
So with quick steps, I made my way to the conference room. Thank God, it was in the same building, otherwise I would have had to wander endlessly around the Picto-campus like a mouse in a maze.