Pinterest Accused of Not Paying Female ‘Co-Creator’

SAN FRANCISCO — When Pinterest went public in 2019, Christine Martinez’s friends sent congratulations. She had worked closely with the founders of the digital pinboard in its earliest days and her friends thought she would get rich alongside them.

But as Pinterest’s stock price rose, turning its founders into billionaires, Ms. Martinez said she realized she would not be compensated or credited for her contributions.

On Monday, she sued.

In a lawsuit filed in Alameda County Superior Court, Ms. Martinez accused Ben Silbermann and Paul Sciarra, two of Pinterest’s three co-founders, of breach of implied contract, idea theft, unjust enrichment and unfair business practices. Ms. Martinez had created Pinterest alongside Mr. Silbermann and Mr. Sciarra, the lawsuit said, contributing ideas that were “core organizing concepts,” such as organizing images on boards and enabling e-commerce.

Ms. Martinez, 40, was never formally employed by Pinterest nor did she ask for a contract. She was not given stock, though she said Pinterest’s founders verbally agreed to compensate her many times.

Ms. Martinez argued that she and the founders had an implied contract, based on their discussions. Pinterest even named a section of its source code after her, according to the complaint. And she was such close friends with the co-founders that she brought them both home for Christmas and was a bridesmaid in Mr. Silbermann’s wedding.

“I always expected that when they could compensate me, they would,” she said, adding that she had been naïve. “There was never a doubt in my mind.”

Pinterest did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit renews questions about whether Pinterest, which caters primarily to female users, is hostile to women and minorities in its workplace.

Last summer, Ifeoma Ozoma and Aerica Shimizu Banks, two former Pinterest employees, tweeted about the pay disparities, retaliation and sexist, racist comments they had experienced at the company. Shortly after, Francoise Brougher, Pinterest’s former chief operating officer, sued the company for gender discrimination and retaliation.

In response, Pinterest employees staged a virtual walkout last August, demanding the company increase the number of women and minorities in its top ranks and provide more transparency around promotion levels, retention and pay.

In December, the company agreed to a $22.5 million settlement with Ms. Brougher, including a $2.5 million donation toward charities for women and underrepresented minorities in tech. Pinterest shareholders then sued the company and its board over its workplace culture.

Ms. Ozoma has helped sponsor the Silenced No More Act in California, which will broaden protection of employees who speak out about discrimination or harassment at work. It was recently passed by the state legislature.

Ms. Martinez said she was not surprised to see the headlines about Pinterest’s culture and that she had been frustrated by the disconnect between the company’s male founders and its female users.

“I’ve spent a lot of years being really confused about how it is that people believe that these three men created a product like this for…