I think it has merit, essentially a form of play. Kittens will act out various attacks on each other, even though there is no real threat. It allows them to work through various solutions to problems in advance, so that when they are in real danger they have already practiced, and will be able to learn more quickly.

You are right that we don't, can't know the truth. So what we do is we map out a space of possible realities and talk through as many of them as we feel inclined to. We try to figure out where the line is that a founder's wife mustn't cross. We try to understand how common sexual harassment is, and what the probabilities are that any given accusation is truthful. These discussions aren't oriented towards reaching any sort of verdict. That is for the courts, and the coworkers. Instead what we need to do is a kind of cartography. Is there a mountain there? How big is it? What are the routes across it?

I think these issues are supremely important, because I think sexism in tech is like a giant hole in our rowboat that we are constantly having to bail out, and I think our organizations will be much more efficient if we can get better representation of diverse skills and viewpoints. And I also believe that rare events can make an outsized impact on a project. And that with such issues you rarely get second chances. And I believe that some of the traps that exist are on a hair trigger, and are very difficult to see. So I think putting energy into "play" ahead of time is very important.

You don't want to be going for the jugular only to realize you've never tried out your claws.