Former Googler Sarah Cooper wrote a satirical book for working women

Sarah Cooper, an author, comedian, and former Google
employee.

Sarah Cooper

• Former Google
  employee turned comic Sarah Cooper has help for women in tech
  with a new book called “How to Be Successful Without Hurting
  Men’s Feelings.”
• The book is, of course, a satirical look a corporate
  life for women. And it’s hilarious.
• Still, the author tells Business Insider, it was
  inspired by true stories from her own Google career, as well as
  her friends and co-workers.

Sarah Cooper is like the anti-Sheryl
Sandberg

Instead of telling women to “lean in,” the former Google employee
is offering more practical advice for women in tech with her
new book, called
“How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings.”

“Ambitious women are scary. In this fast-paced business world,
female leaders need to make sure they’re not perceived as pushy,
aggressive, or competent,” the book’s promotional materials
explains. Chapters include “How to be harassed without hurting
his career” and “How to bring your true self to work and then
hide it completely.” Each chapter ends with a list of “inaction
items.”

Behind the humor there is, of course, a serious message.

“‘How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings’ was
sparked from all the things I did at Google to seem more likable
and approachable, like being less direct with feedback and using
all those smiley faces in my emails, as well as the double
standards I saw between my male and female coworkers,” she said.

Read more:

One of Google’s new sexual harassment policies could be the key
to changing all of Silicon Valley’s bro culture

It was inspired by a blog post she wrote
called  “9
Non-threatening Leadership Strategies for Women” which
went instantly viral with “many women writing to tell me they
experienced the same thing,” she said.

That post has become part of the book. It offers such gems as:
“If a male coworker steals your idea in a meeting, thank
him for it. Give him kudos for how he explained your idea so
clearly. And let’s face it, no one might’ve ever heard it if he
hadn’t repeated it.”

The stories and illustrations in the book are sometimes
fictionalized, sometimes not, but all inspired by real incidents
experienced by Cooper, her friends, and her co-workers.

A scene from the recent
walkout at Google’s San Francisco office.
Katie Canales/Business Insider

‘I got free food and lots of free material’

After spending five-plus years as a woman in tech working her way
up to a manager position at Google, Cooper had plenty of
inspiration for the book and her new career as a comedian. She’s
best known for her previous book, 100
Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings and for her blog,
The Cooper Review.

Although Cooper also did a short stint at Yahoo, both books and
much of her blog was mainly inspired by Google, she told Business
Insider.

“At Google, I got free food and lots of free material,” she said.

Beyond giving women in tech a much-needed laugh, Cooper hopes to
let women know that, no, they aren’t imagining it.

That’s a super helpful message in today’s #MeToo world. It is
particularly potent given the recent uproar at
Google as the company comes clean over how it has dealt with
various sexual harassment incidents.

A Non-Threatening Women’s Foundation

We asked Cooper if she considered reaching out to Sandberg with a
copy of the book. Sandberg is, of course, the former Googler, now
COO at Facebook, who is famously leading today’s renewed feminist
movement seeking gender equality in the workplace. 

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.
Getty

Cooper tells us she didn’t send the book to Sandberg, but if she
ever gets a chance to hang with her, “I’d like to hear how much
she leans back after leaning in, and then leans in again, and
then has to lean back again, and if it’s good workout for her
abs.”

We also asked her if she would model her book after Lean In
organization and start a Non-Threatening Women’s Foundation, with
meetups and support circles.

“Yes I’d love to start a non-threatening woman’s foundation where
we’d probably spend all our meetings just apologizing to each
other,” she quipped.

But she also had a more serious response: “The ultimate point of
the book is to stop worrying if you’re hurting men’s feelings, so
maybe I’d start a foundation for Threatening Women!”