No, this was Kleiner Perkins, and by 2011 Pao wanted revenge

(Pao) had started working at Kleiner Perkins in 2005, as John Doerr’s chief of staff. It was a prestigious position within a prestigious firm. As his chief of staff, Pao worked very closely with Doerr. “He was her mentor,” says a friend. And he trusted her with everything from writing his speeches and articles to his correspondence. He was said to be very fond of her, even if other partners were not. Indeed, it was Doerr who had recommended her as a Crown Fellow.

While in Germany, Pao alleges that Ajit Nazre, a married co-worker, who at the time was not senior to her, had made “inappropriate sexual approaches,” which she had “rebuffed.” But Nazre had refused to take no for an answer, she claimed. On their return to California, he had continued to pressure Pao for sex. He “falsely told her that his wife had left him” and “engaged in offensive, obstructionist, and difficult behavior.” At some point, Pao “succumbed” to Nazre’s “insistence on sexual relations.” In her lawsuit, she says this happened “on two or three occasions,” before she ended their relationship in October. Which is when Nazre, who has since left the firm, began to “retaliate” against her.

she finally complained to John Doerr—not only about Nazre but also about “inappropriate” behavior by Randy Komisar, a senior partner.

Doerr being a legendary venture capital investor

But Kleiner Perkins says that this conversation never occurred. The first and last time that Pao ever mentioned Ajit Nazre, Kleiner says, was shortly after she had broken up with him, and then it was to report that she’d had a relationship with him, and it was over.

As to Komisar and Book of Longing—which for many women would rank close to the top of the creepy-boss gift list—Kleiner says that Komisar’s wife bought it for Pao. The reason: Pao had given Komisar a Buddha statue as a holiday gift, and he felt obliged to reciprocate, apparently on Valentine’s Day. Why that book? According to the firm, Komisar is a Buddhist; he and Pao had discussed Buddhism; Cohen had written the book after a five-year stint at a Buddhist monastery. And John Doerr’s reaction to Pao’s account of Komisar’s alleged steamy come-on? Kleiner Perkins says that Pao never mentioned it to him.

In August 2010 Ellen Pao received a lukewarm annual performance review from Kleiner’s partners. It noted her problems with other partners, and urged her to focus more on her interpersonal skills. She claimed the review was “spearheaded” by Randy Komisar, the partner who had given her Book of Longing and snared the RPX board seat. According to Kleiner, Pao had specifically asked to have Komisar on her job-review team.

Whoever is right, by December 2010, Pao had serious problems. According to Pao, members of RPX’s board had complained to her about Komisar. She, in turn, relayed those complaints to other top Kleiner partners. If she had hoped this would get her the seat on RPX’s board she had so wanted, she was wrong. In January 2011, she was removed from the RPX relationship completely.

How totally humiliating,” says one high-ranking woman in Silicon Valley, describing it as a professional slap that would have made anyone angry. Within months, RPX would go public, generating not only millions in profits for Kleiner but also recognition for the Kleiner team that worked with the company. Which Pao missed out on. For Kleiner, Pao’s power play against a senior partner appears to have been an example of her problems as a team player. These are referred to in the stinging June 2011 review of her performance that Kleiner submitted to the court, in which Pao was described as “passive,” a partner who had a “sense of entitlement,” who was “territorial,” and was not trusted by others