http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/technology/tim-cooks-disclosure-that-hes-gay-garners-sweeping-praise.html 2014-10-30 18:23:53 Tim Cook’s Disclosure That He’s Gay Garners Sweeping Praise Apple’s chief executive was hailed by top executives, including Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Sundar Pichai of Google. === SAN FRANCISCO — It has long been an open secret in Silicon Valley: But Mr. Cook’s public acknowledgment of his sexuality, Praise for Mr. Cook on Twitter was widespread Thursday morning. “Thank you Tim for showing what it means to be a real, courageous and authentic leader,” Facebook’s co-founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, a top Google executive who oversees most of the Internet company’s products, Rob Glaser, co-founder and chief executive of Real Networks, a maker of media player software in Seattle, said in an interview that Mr. Cook’s step was “hugely positive.” “Life is about role models,” said Mr. Glaser, who has worked in the tech industry for three decades. “If you’re a 14-year old kid and you find the C.E.O. of one of the most iconic companies in the world happens to be gay, you’ll think, ‘There’s no limit on what I can do.’” Silicon Valley, with its nonstop focus on the future and its location in one of the most socially liberal parts of the country, has long been publicly supportive of gays and lesbians. Major tech companies field large contingents in San Francisco’s annual gay rights parade, with some top industry leaders, including Mr. Zuckerberg and Mr. Cook, personally leading their companies’ marchers. And Silicon Valley has been ahead of the curve in extending employee benefits to same-sex partners and spouses. But tech companies, particularly start-ups founded and staffed largely by young white men, have also struggled to deal with a Silicon Valley has few prominent executives who are openly gay. One, Megan Smith, a former vice president at Google overseeing the company’s experimental projects, just recently left the industry to join the White House as chief technology officer of the United States. Mr. Glaser said that some of his gay friends in tech still feel uncomfortable coming out and believe that the industry discriminates against them. He said that Mr. Cook’s public disclosure of his sexual orientation could defuse the issue for others in the world of business, much like the 1997 disclosure by actress and comedian Ellen DeGeneres that she was lesbian did for the entertainment industry. “It would be wonderful if we could get to that point in civic culture,” he said.