The conferences themselves are only one part of the problem TED is facing. It is facing internal sexual harassment complaints against its managers. A former junior staff member, Jordan Reeves, said that he was harassed by Tom Rielly in 2014. According to Reeves, Rielly told him "incredibly" explicit jokes at work and said that his "ass looked nice" in jeans. In an interview with the Washington Post, Reeves said he wasn't the only one. "I was hearing it from everybody, men and women alike, about misconduct," said Reeves. "It seemed so systematic that I was overwhelmed." After complaining directly to TED owner Chris Anderson and another executive, Reeves posed an ultimatum: either they make systemic changes or he leaves. Reeves claims that Anderson defended Rielly saying he was only joking and asked him to keep the conversation between them. Reeves gave his notice about six months later.