cybersecurity giant paid women - and only women - to stand at its happy hour networking event as faceless lamps

Palo Alto Networks execs apologize for 'hostesses' dressed as lamps at Black Hat booth

Biz admits turning human women into faceless, sexualized furniture was a 'tone deaf' marketing ploy

If you attended the Black Hat conference in Vegas last week and found yourself over in Palo Alto Networks' corner of the event, you may have encountered a marketing gimmick that has since been heavily criticized for misogyny.

Security architect Sean Juroviesky's LinkedIn post and accompanying image, which was subsequently shared by equally outraged conference delegates, attracted scores of angry cybersecurity pros all demanding answers from Palo Alto Networks (PAN).

Why? The cybersecurity giant paid women – and only women – to stand at the entrance to its happy hour networking event dressed up as illuminated human lamps. Their faces were obscured by actual lampshades.

https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/14/palo_alto_networks_execs_apologize/

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Palo Alto senior leadership issued an apology following a “marketing decision” that saw happy hour attendees at this month’s Black Hat in Las Vegas greeted by hostesses wearing branded lampshades.

The gimmick sparked backlash on social media after a photo of the incident was shared online by a LinkedIn user.

CISO and founder of the Rose CISO Group, Olivia Rose, addressed the wording in the apologies, pointing out the lack of reference to how “incredibly offensive and demeaning” the move was.

Rose also said that she had received messages from female Palo Alto staff who said they feared calling out the decision.
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An apology by CEO Nikesh Arora was posted on the cyber security firm’s website, acknowledging that the decision was “unacceptable”.

“The misguided attempt to welcome guests with branded lampshade-wearing hostesses was not consistent with our values. I appreciate you not judging us on this isolated event, and I want to reassure you of our continued commitment to and celebration of inclusion and diversity,” he said.

https://www.cyberdaily.au/security/10960-palo-alto-sparks-fury-after-objectifying-hostesses-with-lampshade-headwear

“Palo Alto should also be made aware that I have personally received multiple messages from women at the company who were too scared to speak up about this decision,” she said.