Indian-origin CEO apologises for sexist booth-babe promotions in US

Palo Alto Networks, an American cybersecurity company, has come under fire for its "sexist" and "tone-deaf" decision to have two women wear lampshades on their heads as "props" at a recent event in Las Vegas, US. The incident, which took place at the Black Hat conference, prompted outrage on social media. The company’s Indian-origin Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nikesh Arora, issued an apology on LinkedIn, calling the incident “unacceptable” and not representative of the company's values. The idea of women's statue outfits seems to be inspired by the "booth babes".

Palo Alto Networks, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, provides cybersecurity solutions.

The backlash began when a photo from the event went viral, showing the women with company-branded lampshades on their heads.

The women's statues were part of a promotion for the "CyberRisk Collaborative Happy Hour", sponsored by Palo Alto Networks.

Event attendee Sean Juroviesky, a Security Architect and Public Speaker, who took the photo, expressed his disapproval.

"What the hell Palo Alto Networks is it 1960? What is this sexist b-----? In case it's not clear those are real human beings, not wax figures," Juroviesky wrote on LinkedIn.

WOMEN'S OUTFIT IDEA SEEMS INSPIRED BY 'BOOTH BABES'

Olivia Rose, founder and Chief Information Security Officer of RoseCISO Group, also criticised the display on LinkedIn.

"Shame. Shame. Shame on you, both Palo Alto Networks and CyberRisk Collaborative. So we women are nothing more than props to you? We are only at BlackHat to be lampshade holders?? Are those intended to represent bright ideas inside our heads orâ€æ just light bulbs? Shame on you. Just shame. Do better. It’s really not that hard," Rose wrote on LinkedIn.

According to the BBC, a Reddit user also mentioned leaving the event early, describing the display as "creepy" and "gross".

In response to the outcry, Indian-origin CEO Nikesh Arora posted an apology on LinkedIn.

"I was saddened to see this picture as I returned last evening from a trip. This is unequivocally not the culture we support, or aspire to be. This is neither consistent with our values, nor in line with our actions and aspiration to support and celebrate women in Cybersecurity, and diversity across our business," he stated.

The idea for these outfits seems to be inspired by the "booth babes" from the early Consumer Electronics Show in the 1960s, reported the BBC.

Back then, women were hired as hostesses at events mostly attended by men. By the 1990s, using scantily-clad women as attractions faced significant backlash, and by the 2010s, this practice had mostly ended.

However, the tech industry is still predominantly male, and concerns about women being excluded or treated unfairly persist.