Invitation to Ivanka Trump draws backlash at big tech show

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The nation's largest consumer electronics show on Tuesday hosts Ivanka Trump as a keynote speaker — a choice that drew scorn from many women in technology.

The annual CES tech gathering in Las Vegas has long taken criticism over diversity issues. In recent years, the show's organizer, the Consumer Technology Association, has invited more women to speak and sought to curb some of the show's more sexist aspects, such as scantily clad “booth babes” hired to draw attention of the mostly male attendees.

But for critics and activists who have long pushed for broader recognition of the less-heralded women, the inclusion of President Donald Trump's daughter, who is also a White House adviser, sends exactly the wrong message.

“Ivanka is not a woman in tech,” tweeted Brianna Wu, a video game developer who is running for Congress in Massachusetts. “She’s not a CEO. She has no background. It’s a lazy attempt to emulate diversity — but like all emulation it’s not quite the real thing.”

Ivanka Trump will appear in a question-and-answer session with CTA President Gary Shapiro. She is expected to discuss company strategies to retrain workers and develop math and science education programs. In the administration, she has worked on skills-training initiatives. Companies including Google have said they will train people for technology jobs as part of a White House initiative.

Shapiro told The Associated Press that Ivanka Trump is fighting for workers at a time when robots are filling warehouses and factories and self-driving vehicles are worrying truck drivers.

“We’ve had politicians speak before, cabinet secretaries and others who’ve come in," Shapiro said. “So, I think wait until you hear what she has to say and listen to it because...