> I have no insider knowledge

Probably best to stop there then, as this has nothing to do with it.

To cherrypick quotes from topmost the comment:

"It’s hard to escape from the shadow of your mentor and find your own footing."

"It’s a harder sell when you are promoting from within..."

"A16Z used to have a rule where no one internally would be promoted to be a GP..."

From where I come from, the term glass ceiling is not just limited to women but all forms of discrimination at workplace denying someone/anyone a rise up the ranks. In the US, the term seems to be exclusively used in the domain of gender dynamics.

That may be how you use the term, but that's not what the term means.

> The metaphor was first coined by feminists in reference to barriers in the careers of high-achieving women.[0]

> "A glass ceiling" represents a barrier that prohibits women from advancing toward the top of a hierarchical corporation.[0]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_ceiling

Thanks.

> That may be how you use the term

That's the thing: It's not just me, but the entire country where I work, doesn't limit its usage to gender or minority.

> but that's not what the term means.

"a situation in which progress, esp promotion, appears to be possible but restrictions or discrimination create a barrier that prevents it."

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/glass+ceiling

"Invisible but real barrier through which the next stage or level of advancement can be seen, but cannot be reached by a section of qualified and deserving employees. Such barriers exist due to implicit prejudice on the basis of age, ethnicity, political or religious affiliation, and/or sex."

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/glass-ceiling.h...

"Since becoming commonplace in contemporary language it [glass ceiling] has become generally applied to obstacles encountered in any field and by any group"

https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/glass-ceiling.html

"a point after which you cannot go any further, usually in improving your position at work"

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/glass-ce...

Your username is accurate in this case.

May be. I try to be a little less ignorant everyday, though. That's why we are here, on news.yc, I guess; to exchange ideas, to engage in discussions, to learn from whoever would teach.

Fair enough.

To your point in the other related thread about the usage of the term glass ceiling, there's nothing discriminatory about this specific practice in the VC community. No matter the gender, race, sexual orientation, or whatever other metric you'd use to describe an associate that could in theory be used to discriminate, a VC firm does not have an incentive to promote from within, and actually has incentives not to do so as described by another poster.

Thanks. I concur. I must point out that glass ceiling is also used to mean, a point after which you cannot go any further, usually in improving your position at work...