Talia Jane

Jane attended community college until they transferred to California State University, Long Beach, where they earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature.

In February 2016, Jane published an open letter on Medium to Jeremy Stoppelman, the chief executive officer of Yelp, where they worked as a customer service representative for Yelp's Eat24 food delivery service. The letter contrasted the minimum-wage hourly pay of their role and the high cost of living in the Bay Area, highlighting the workers' $12.25 hourly wages, the cost of housing and groceries, and poverty issues among their colleagues.{{Cite web|last=Mack|first=David|date=February 20, 2016|title=This Woman's Post On Poverty Went Viral And She Lost Her Job|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/talia-jane-vs-yelp|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=BuzzFeed News}} Jane said the only housing they could afford with their pay was 30 miles east in Concord, and had no money left for food after rent and transportation to work.

They were fired shortly after they published the letter, the news of which garnered significant media attention.{{Cite web|last=Bergen|first=Mark|date=February 20, 2016|title=Yelp Customer Service Employee Protests Low Pay in Medium Post, Is Promptly Fired|url=https://www.vox.com/2016/2/20/11588064/yelp-customer-service-employee-protests-low-pay-in-medium-post-is|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=Vox}} Jane was both credited for sparking an important conversation about living wages,{{Cite web|last=Golshan|first=Tara|date=February 24, 2016|title=The controversy over a fired Yelp employee's open letter, explained|url=https://www.vox.com/2016/2/24/11109582/yelp-open-letter-explained|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=Vox}}{{Cite web|last=McKay|first=Tom|date=February 22, 2016|title=This Yelp Employee's Open Letter to the CEO Has Sparked an Important Conversation|url=https://www.mic.com/articles/135850/this-yelp-employee-s-open-letter-to-the-ceo-has-sparked-an-important-conversation|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=Mic}} and criticized for their method of delivery.{{Cite web|last=Bariso|first=Justin|date=February 22, 2016|title=Emotional Intelligence 101: Why a Millennial's Letter to Yelp's CEO Got Her Fired|url=https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/emotional-intelligence-101-why-a-millennials-letter-to-yelps-ceo-got-her-fired.html|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=Inc.com}}{{Cite web|last=Pontefract|first=Dan|date=February 21, 2016|title=Was Yelp Being Fair When It Fired Talia Jane?|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danpontefract/2016/02/21/was-yelp-being-fair-when-it-fired-talia-jane/|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=Forbes}} In an analysis for the Washington Post, writer Malcolm Harris noted that Jane was "pilloried in the media as just another entitled millennial who wanted things handed to them" but noted of the resulting wage increase: "Many large labor actions have achieved less".{{cite news|last1=Harris|first1=Malcolm|date=June 9, 2017|title=Why do millennials keep leaking government secrets?|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/06/09/why-do-millennials-keep-leaking-government-secrets/|accessdate=September 29, 2017}}

They said that they were told they were being terminated due to the Medium post, would receive severance of $1,000, and would not be allowed to return to work at Yelp. Stoppelman denied that Jane's termination was related to the letter, and a spokesperson for Yelp stated, "We do not comment on personnel issues."{{Cite web|last=Weinberger|first=Matt|title=A Yelp employee publicly complained to the CEO that she couldn't afford to buy groceries — hours later, she was fired|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/talia-jane-fired-yelp-eat24-2-2016|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=Business Insider}} However, two weeks later, after former employee Jaymee Senigaglia wrote her own open letter, Yelp published justification for her termination on Twitter.{{Cite news|last=Singletary|first=Michelle|date=March 3, 2016|title=It's better to have a boss who's a jerk all the time|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/get-there/wp/2016/03/03/its-better-to-have-a-boss-thats-a-jerk-all-the-time/|access-date=December 18, 2021}}{{Cite news|last=Bowles|first=Nellie|date=March 2, 2016|title=Yelp rejects complaint from fired single mother in latest high-profile public spat|work=The Guardian|url=http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/02/yelp-employees-low-pay-complaint-silicon-valley|access-date=December 18, 2021}}

In April 2016, Yelp raised the pay of Eat24 customer service representatives from $12.25 to $14 an hour, added 11 paid holidays (up from zero), and increased the number of days of paid time off from 5 to 15. Yelp did not reference Jane in its announcement and said that changes had been in the works since quarter 4 2015 – three months before Jane published their letter. Employees at Yelp reportedly disputed this claim and believed Jane was the "whistleblower" who prompted the changes.{{Cite magazine|last=Smiley|first=Lauren|date=April 28, 2016|title=The Revelations of Lady Murderface|magazine=Backchannel|url=https://www.wired.com/2016/04/the-revelations-of-lady-murderface/|access-date=December 19, 2021|issn=1059-1028}}{{cite news|last1=Truong|first1=Alice|date=April 28, 2016|title=Yelp increases wages after firing an employee who was critical about their low pay|work=Quartz|url=https://qz.com/672681/yelp-increases-wages-after-firing-an-employee-who-was-critical-about-her-low-pay/|accessdate=March 8, 2017}}

Jane was named one of Business Insider{{'}}s 100 "most amazing and inspiring people in tech right now" as well as one of Inc's "25 Coolest Women in Silicon Valley," both of which credited their open letter for the subsequent conversations about living wages in Silicon Valley.{{cite news|last1=Carson|first1=Biz|date=July 6, 2016|title=THE SILICON VALLEY 100: The most amazing and inspiring people in tech right now|work=Business Insider|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-100-2016-6|access-date=March 24, 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Martin|first1=Emmie|date=July 14, 2016|title=Icons of Entrepreneurship: 25 Coolest Women in Silicon Valley Right Now|publisher=Inc.com|url=http://www.inc.com/business-insider/25-coolest-women-silicon-valley.html|access-date=March 24, 2017}}

Jane is a freelance journalist and has contributed to Mic,{{Cite web|title=Talia Jane|url=https://www.mic.com/profile/talia-jane-16723162|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=Mic|date=March 20, 2017 }} Vice,{{Cite web|title=Talia Jane|url=https://www.vice.com/en/contributor/talia-jane/|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=Vice}} Allure,{{Cite web|title=Talia Jane|url=https://www.allure.com/contributor/talia-jane|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=Allure}} Elle,{{Cite web|title=Talia Jane|url=https://www.elle.com/author/222732/talia-jane/|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=ELLE}} and The Guardian.{{Cite web|title=Talia Jane|url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/talia-jane|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=The Guardian}} They also worked as a writer for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee{{'}}s trivia game This Is Not A Game: The Game.{{cite web |title=This is Not a Game: The Game |url=https://www.tbs.com/shows/full-frontal-with-samantha-bee/articles/thisisnotagame |url-status=dead |access-date=May 12, 2019 |website=TBS.com | archive-date=June 7, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180607201907/https://www.tbs.com/shows/full-frontal-with-samantha-bee/articles/thisisnotagame}}

As an independent reporter, in 2020, Jane attended protests in Manhattan following the death of football player Johnathan Price{{cite news |last1=Tracy |first1=Thomas |title=Shea slams 'spoiled brat' protesters |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112946884/shea-slams-spoiled-brat-protesters/ |access-date=November 12, 2022 |work=Daily News|location=New York |date=October 7, 2020 |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}} and later election protests in Washington, D.C.{{cite news |last1=Spearman |first1=Kahron |title=Video shows Proud Boys member punching journalist during 'Million MAGA March' |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/proud-boy-punches-journalist-video/ |access-date=November 12, 2022 |work=The Daily Dot |date=November 16, 2020}} According to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, in late 2023, Jane faced harassment while reporting at pro-Israel demonstrations in Manhattan held following the Hamas-led attack on Israel,{{cite web |title=Freelance journalist harassed, press badge briefly stolen at pro-Israel rally |url=https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelance-journalist-harassed-press-badge-briefly-stolen-at-pro-israel-rally/ |publisher=U.S. Press Freedom Tracker |access-date=February 10, 2024}} and they were later that year hit with a book at a protest against a Drag Story Hour event in New York.{{cite web |title=Freelance journalist struck with book at NYC protest against drag story hour |date=August 22, 2023 |url=https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelance-journalist-struck-with-book-at-nyc-protest-against-drag-story-hour/ |publisher=U.S. Press Freedom Tracker |access-date=February 10, 2024}}

Jane grew up in Concord, California with their mother, Debra McClanahan, a practicing Wiccan, and near their father. At 10 years old, Jane unknowingly became an accomplice to spree killers Glenn Helzer, Justin Helzer, and Dawn Godman, after Jane's mother purchased movie tickets as an alibi for the trio. Their mother testified against the killers, and was later committed to a psychiatric ward; Jane went to live with their grandparents in Southern California.{{Cite web|title=Episode 6: Talia Jane vs Yelp|url=https://www.tangoti.com/ep006-talia-jane-vs-yelp|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=There Are No Girls On The Internet}} They later wrote about the experience.{{Cite web|last=Jane|first=Talia|date=June 30, 2014|title=7 Things I Learned as an Accomplice to Mass Murder|url=https://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-1374-7-things-i-learned-as-accomplice-to-mass-murder.html|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=Cracked.com}}

In May 2019, Jane was the recipient of a sexually explicit message via Twitter that was sent to them by a Seattle Times reporter. The reporter was suspended by the Times{{cite news |last1=Arnold |first1=Amanda |title=Seattle Times Reporter Suspended After Sending Writer Wildly Inappropriate DMs |url=https://www.thecut.com/2019/05/seattle-times-reporter-suspended-over-inappropriate-dms.html |access-date=November 12, 2022 |work=The Cut |date=May 6, 2019}}{{Cite web|last=Millman|first=Zosha|date=May 5, 2019|title=Seattle Times reporter Mike Rosenberg suspended after sending sexually harassing messages|url=https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/Seattle-Times-reporter-Mike-Rosenberg-DM-sexual-13820880.php|website=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|accessdate=January 30, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Levine |first1=Jon |title=Seattle Times Reporter Suspended After Sexual Harassment Accusations |url=https://www.thewrap.com/seattle-times-reporter-suspended-after-sexual-harassment-accusations/ |access-date=November 12, 2022 |work=TheWrap |date=May 6, 2019}} and resigned from the paper on June 7, 2019.{{cite news |last1=Millman |first1=Zosha |title=Report: Seattle Times reporter Mike Rosenberg resigns weeks after sending sexually harassing DMs |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/Seattle-Times-reporter-Mike-Rosenberg-DM-sexual-13968688.php |access-date=November 12, 2022 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=June 11, 2019}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://taliajane.com/ Official Website]

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Category:1990s births

Category:21st-century American writers

Category:Activists from California

Category:American bloggers

Category:American workers' rights activists

Category:American whistleblowers

Category:Living people

Category:People from Concord, California

Category:Writers from California

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:California State University, Long Beach alumni

Category:Labor journalists