We trust self-driving cars, AI and algorithms to shape the future. We believe in progress, disruption and innovation. Yet when it comes to women in top positions, suddenly we become cautious. Can she handle the pressure? Is she technical enough? Experienced enough? Too ambitious? Too young? Too old?

That contradiction is especially interesting in tech, an industry built around disrupting old systems. And yet women make up just 19.5% of ICT specialists, and only 8% of senior management roles in European tech.

When there are so few women at the top, leadership can start to feel like a limited resource. That is where the one-seat game begins. Another woman’s success can feel like our own failure. Her confidence can feel intimidating. Instead of seeing her promotion as proof that more space is opening up, we compete for the same seat.

And this is the part I find most interesting. My speech is not about blaming “the system” or men. I am interested in what happens between women when ambition, visibility and scarcity enter the room, and how we can support each other without pretending that jealousy, comparison and competition do not exist.

Using critical psychology, humour and uncomfortable real-life examples, I explore female competition, jealousy and visibility in business and ask the question that is harder to outsource to HR, policy or men: How much of what holds women back in the past is initiated by us, other women?