Pinterest Inc agreed to pay $22.5 million to calm claims of gender discrimination and retaliation by its previous Chief Operating Officer Francoise Brougher, as Silicon Valley battles with ongoing pressure to face discrimination and diversity problems within its ranks.Ms. Brougher sued Pinterest back in August, alleging the social media company maintained a culture of confidentiality among top male executives that resulted in her being excluded from meetings and decision-planning.In a blog post, she accused the company of having an aggressive work environment for women and that “female executives, even at the highest levels, are undervalued, excluded, and silenced.”