After accusing Naomi “SexyCyborg” Wu of not being a real maker, Make CEO Dale Dougherty offers a more sincere apology.

Last week, the maker community was drawn into controversy after Dale Dougherty, the CEO of Make Magazine, suddenly lashed out at popular YouTubers and Chinese maker Naomi Wu. The publication’s figurehead essentially questioned whether Wu, better known by her SexyCyborg alias, was a real tech-savvy maker, stating that she “is a persona, not a real person.”

Wu and a handful of her fans took offense to his baseless accusations, claiming that he had potentially cost her a sponsorship and caused irreparable damage to her reputation.

On a grander scale, the YouTuber and Shenzen-based maker also suggested that his comments represented more glaring issues regarding sexism in the tech industry. Dougherty issued an apology shortly after the debacle exploded on social media, but Wu felt he didn’t go far enough to address and rectify his mistakes.

In the ensuing days, Wu continued to defend herself from Dougherty’s comments, calling on him to admit that Make had been excluding her, adding that his “casual, insincere apology without consequences is a primary tool of abusive men in tech”.

Over the weekend, the Make CEO returned to offer a much more sincere and heartfelt apology, acknowledging that he “did something really stupid” and shared how Make plans to address issues raised regarding the marginalization of women in the maker scene.

Make CEO Offers More Thoughtful Apology to SexyCyborg, Along with Plan to Address Her Concerns

Dougherty’s latest statement, which was issued through Make, starts:

“Two weeks ago, I did something really stupid. I tweeted that Naomi Wu, @realsexycyborg, was not who she claimed to be, pointed to a conspiracy theory on that subject on Reddit. That would be wrong in any circumstance, but I’ve come to realize a couple of important things about this particular interaction: my response reflected my unconscious biases; and the negative impact of my tweets was amplified by the fact that I, a white, Western, male CEO of a key company in the Maker community, publicly questioned a young, female, self-employed Chinese maker. I specifically apologize for the tactless use of quotes around “her” in a tweet of mine that was offensive to Naomi and all women.

It was completely inappropriate of me to question Naomi’s identity. My reference to a web page that claimed that a white male was responsible for her projects was insulting to Naomi, to women, and to the technical and creative capabilities of the Chinese people. Naomi is what she says she is – an authentic maker who receives no more assistance from others than is customary in a traditional makerspace – and she discloses such assistance when she receives it. Naomi’s results both when working as an individual and when working with Chinese engineers on her sino:bit project demonstrate that she and other Chinese makers are every bit as capable and creative as their Western counterparts. I deeply regret what I have done to suggest otherwise. I apologize to Naomi and the entire Maker community around the world.”

The Make CEO went on to admit that he based his accusations on “a web page that claimed that a white male was responsible for her projects”. Dougherty retracted that claim, now stating that Wu is an authentic maker, and that “she and other Chinese makers are every bit as capable and creative as their Western counterparts”.

After his lengthy statement, he shared a set of actions that Make plans to take in order to address Wu’s concerns within the maker community, particularly in regard to the marginalization of women and local makers in China.

Here is what Dougherty proposed in his statement:

• With permission from Naomi, we will feature Naomi and her work on the cover of the next issue of Make: along with a full-length story about her work.
• We will invite her and help her obtain a VISA to a USA Maker Faire in 2018, covering her travel and expenses.
• We will be publishing a diversity audit of Make: as a company and our properties, and will be setting goals to drive progress on these issues.
• We will be assembling advisory boards to work with our Maker Faire organizers to ensure our events are representative of our entire community. We will invite Naomi to be part of any advisory board for events in China.

Naomi is what she says she is – an authentic maker who receives no more assistance from others than is customary in a traditional makerspace – and she discloses such assistance when she receives it.

Naomi Wu Accepts Apology From Make (For the Good of Makerkind)

The more extensive and sincere apology seemed to be enough to gain the forgiveness of Wu, who responded on Twitter:

I consider the issue with me resolved. This apology is more comprehensive and I have been promised tools with which I can repair my reputation here in China. https://t.co/smPygIJKeh

— Naomi Wu (@RealSexyCyborg) November 19, 2017

I owe a huge debt to the community for advocating on my behalf, but specifically to @adafruit (Limor and Philip) @bunniestudios and to @lizthegrey. There is no chance I could have resolved this on my own without their help. https://t.co/kD17wQR8LC

— Naomi Wu (@RealSexyCyborg) November 19, 2017

Although the unfortunate situation stirred a lot of controversy, it’s relieving to see Dougherty step up with a more profound apology. Additionally, he attempts to offer solutions to the serious concerns raised by Wu, going beyond his comments to set forth an action plan.

At the end of the day, Make and SexyCyborg seem to have reconciled their differences, and will hopefully move forward together to conjure up more inclusivity and equality throughout the maker community.