Leopard.FYI’s mission is to make the tech industry more inclusive, starting in software engineering where it’s desperately needed. We run a free community & hiring platform for Women & Non-Binary software engineers, where we work with 1000+ senior software engineers on their job searches, & with hundreds of engineering leaders to diversify their candidate pipelines. We’re also developing a community of hundreds of recruiters, engineering leaders and executives in tech who are committed to bringing more inclusivity into tech org operations.

For the Leopard Slack community to be effective and supportive, we ask everyone to help keep this space professional, growth-focused, and welcoming.

Channel Posting Guidelines:

Community Members use Leopard to feel less alone in their work-related experiences, personal learnings, and frustrations. Remember these are usually bids for connection or support, and advice is not always the right solution.

When someone shares a challenge, lead with empathy. Helpful responses include:

• First-person experiences (“I went through something similar—here’s what helped me”)

• Sharing resources that were genuinely useful

• Kind, experience-based advice (when appropriate)

• Simple support (“I hear you and I’m here for you”)

If you’re adding negativity, do so thoughtfully and in a way that supports the person sharing. Avoid hate, vitriol, or mob-style pile-ons.

General Channel Etiquette

• Keep posts relevant to the purpose of each channel to help conversations stay focused and useful.

• Avoid cross-posting the same message in multiple channels. Duplicate posts create noise, make conversations harder to follow, and reduce the chance of getting thoughtful responses.

• If you’re unsure where something belongs, post once and ask for guidance in #c-leopard-faqs instead.

• Use threads for replies whenever possible to keep channels readable.

• Avoid tagging large groups or multiple people unless it’s truly necessary.

• Respect channel boundaries around promotion, recruiting, and job-related posts.

Venting Guidelines

• This community has 3,000+ members. Do not share sensitive personal information or confidential company details that could get you trouble.

• Try not to focus only on hopelessness or despair in public channels, as it can unintentionally discourage others.

• Full, unfiltered venting is better suited for private conversations or a study buddy rather than large Slack channels.

• If you want a venting partner, connect with someone directly and take it to DMs.

Whisper Network Guidelines

• The Whisper Network is for awareness and informed decision-making, not shortcuts. Our goal is to protect candidates, companies, and the credibility of the Leopard community while helping members navigate their job searches responsibly.

• Cheating, misrepresentation, or helping others cheat is not allowed. This includes sharing or requesting live interview questions, take-home assignments or solutions, exact technical exercises, internal rubrics or evaluation criteria, or guidance meant to game or bypass a company’s process. Content that enables cheating will be removed, and repeat violations may lead to restricted access or removal from the Leopard Slack.

• We do encourage sharing high-level signals and patterns that help another Leopard member understand what to expect and decide whether to move forward with a company. Examples include general interview structure (such as recruiter screen → technical → onsite), areas of emphasis (like system design, debugging, or communication), pace of the process, expectations around in-office or remote work, team size or seniority mix, and cultural or logistical context that affects fit.

• Information that includes exact interview questions, take-home prompts or solutions, internal evaluation criteria, or step-by-step guidance should not be shared in the Whisper Network. This includes screenshots, copied prompts, “here’s exactly what they asked me,” or advice intended to game or bypass the process. If someone asks for that level of detail, do not provide it. You may move the conversation to DMs only to keep responses high-level and contextual, not to share disallowed content. Moving a conversation to DMs does not make prohibited information acceptable to share.

• The Whisper Network is intended for sharing insights and context, not just venting if you had a bad experience interviewing at a company. If someone posts about a role they’re actively exploring, avoid immediately dismissing or trashing it unless there’s a serious and relevant concern worth flagging.

• When sharing a negative experience, keep in mind that members come from different backgrounds and are optimizing for different things. What felt like a dealbreaker to you may be acceptable (or even ideal) for someone else based on factors like visa needs, compensation goals, location preferences, seniority level, team structure, risk tolerance, or career stage. Share your experience as your perspective, not a universal truth, and leave room for others to decide what’s right for them.

External Job Posting is Not Allowed

Posting jobs directly in Leopard Slack channels is not allowed. This includes sharing job descriptions, links to open roles, or requests for applicants in public channels or DMs unless explicitly approved by the Leopard team.

If you’re an employer, recruiter, or hiring manager and would like to share a role with the Leopard community, please get in touch with the Leopard team first. We work closely with companies to distribute roles thoughtfully, ensure alignment with the community, and protect members from spam or low-signal postings.

To request distribution of a role, reach out to the Leopard team or email lexi@leopard.fyi

Sales, Promotion & Solicitation

Selling, pitching, promotion, or solicitation — including cold outreach, DMs, lead generation, or directing members to paid services — is not allowed unless a channel is explicitly designated for it or prior approval is given by the Leopard team.

Health & Medical Advice

Giving medical advice in Leopard Slack is not allowed. Most members are not licensed professionals, and sharing medical advice can cause harm and legal risk. Please direct members to qualified healthcare professionals.

Maintaining an Inclusive & Psychologically Safe Space

• Please stick to language that is inclusive and considerate of others’ backgrounds and experiences.

• Personal attacks, derogatory remarks, or hostile language are not acceptable.

• If someone flags your language, treat it as an opportunity to learn, not a personal attack.

• Members are encouraged (but not required) to share pronouns. Use stated pronouns and names. Mistakes happen—acknowledge, correct, and move forward. Deliberate misgendering or name misuse is not tolerated.

• Hate speech or derogatory comments related to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or similar characteristics will result in immediate removal

• Leopard acknowledges systemic inequalities in the tech industry and is committed to open dialogue, learning, and action to address them. Undermining or opposing diversity, equity, and inclusion is not welcome in our channel.

  
  

Reporting & Enforcement

Please report harassment, discrimination, or unacceptable behavior as soon as possible. Leopard leadership and the community review board will take appropriate action to protect the community and reduce future risk.

Periodic Review

Leopard reviews the Code of Conduct annually to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the community. Feedback is always welcome and can be sent to Leopard’s CEO, Lexi, at lexi@leopard.fyi