How are the technology industry and Silicon Valley addressing workforce diversity, equality and inclusion? Check this ChannelE2E blog for ongoing updates. We track market research, corporate policies and initiatives designed to address social equality across:
Note: Blog originally published June 18, 2020. Ongoing updates thereafter. If you have an update to share, please email details to ChannelE2E’s Joe Panettieri (Joe@AfterNines.com).
Google CEO Sundar Pichai
Alphabet and Google: Multiple updates…
Google and parent company Alphabet Inc. are committing more than $175 million to advance Black businesses and entrepreneurs and are moving toward increasing representation of people of color in their leadership ranks. Source: Silicon Valley Business Journal, June 17, 2020.
Amazon: Amazon has added the first Black member to its prestigious S-team, a group of executives that advises CEO Jeff Bezos. Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment, is joining the S-team — along with John Felton and Dave Treadwell — as consumer chief Jeff Wilke departs the company. Boler Davis joined Amazon last year after serving as a top lieutenant at GM. Source: Business Insider, August 21, 2020.
Apple CEO Tim Cook
Apple: Multiple updates…
Aryaka: CEO Matt Carter offered his thoughts on inclusion, diversity and equality in the interview below. Source: ChannelE2E, June 29, 2020.
This blog describes the context that set the stage for ChannelE2E’s interview with Carter.
Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition: See ongoing updates involving business policies, social issues and potential racial bias here. Source: ChannelE2E, January 2020 and ongoing thereafter.
Boardroom Diversity: A new group of U.S. companies is pledging to add a Black director to their boards within the next year in a bid to diversify and help accelerate more inclusion in corporate America. The moves are part of the Board Challenge, a pledge for boards to add a Black director within one year. The effort comes about a week after California lawmakers passed a bill that would require publicly traded companies based in the state to have at least one director from a minority community by the close of 2021. Source: The Wall Street Journal, September 9, 2020.
Canadian Businesses: Canadian technology leaders have formed an organization to eliminate racism and discrimination from the country’s innovation sector, BNN Bloomberg reports. Twenty-five people with ties to tech incubators, governments, start-ups, banks, academic institutions, investment businesses and insurance companies say they have launched the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR). Source: BNN Bloomberg, June 29, 2020.
Chuck Robbins, CEO, Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems: Multiple updates…
Compensation, Hiring and Wages: Multiple updates…
Consulting Industry:
Facebook: Multiple updates…
IBM: The company’s 2017 Corporate Responsibility Report with Inclusion information is here. Source: IBM, 2017.
ISACA: The global technology association has launched a philanthropic foundation, One In Tech, to address inequity in IT through responsive, relevant programs designed to support under-resourced, under-represented populations. Source: ISACA, July 21, 2020.
KnowBe4: The security awareness training and simulated phishing platform provider has launched the KnowBe4 Scholarship for Black Americans in Cybersecurity. Source: KnowBe4, July 13, 2020.
Laws, Regulations and Rulings: The Supreme Court ruled that federal civil rights laws prohibit workplace discrimination against LGBTQ workers. Source: ChannelE2E, June 15, 2020.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella
Microsoft: Multiple updates…
Reed Hastings, CEO, Netflix
Netflix: Multiple updates…
PayPal Holdings: The company pledged $530 million to support minority-owned businesses and communities through community banks and credit unions focused on these groups, as well as direct investments into minority-led startups and minority-focused investment funds. Source: Silicon Valley Business Journal, June 18, 2020.
Private Equity & Boardroom Diversity: Ten private equity firms have pledged to each create and post five board seats to make them available to minority and women candidates, participating in an initiative to increase diversity on company boards of directors. Key leaders in the effort include Robert F. Smith, CEO of Vista Equity Partners — parent of Datto. Source: Mergers and Acquisitions, June 30, 2020.
Research: Multiple updates…
Reddit: The site has vowed to implement a new hate speech policy after years of complaints from volunteer moderators. The moderators claim racism is rampant across the Reddit website. Source: Bloomberg, June 18, 2020.
ScanSource: The distributor has launched a Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) program. Also, Ken Peterson, senior director of human resources, takes on the additional role of chief diversity officer.
Square: The company intends to invest $100 million in support of minority and underserved communities, including:
Source: Square, September 24, 2020.
Technology Industry Movements: Leaders from across the technology industry condemned racism and vowed to drive social equality. The outcry followed the murder of George Floyd — a Black man who was killed by a White Minneapolis police officer. The officer has been fired and faces murder charges. Source: ChannelE2E, June 2, 2020.
Trend Micro: The cybersecurity software provider has extended its partnership with Girls in Tech, a global nonprofit. Together, the two organizations will develop a large talent pool of women focused on the cybersecurity industry. Source: Trend Micro, July 2, 2020.
Venture Capital: A group of Black venture capital managers is pressing Silicon Valley’s largest firms to commit to including historically Black colleges and universities among their limited partners, the institutions and individuals that provide capital to VC funds and reap the returns, The Information reports. Lo Toney, who spun out Plexo Capital from Alphabet’s investing arm GV, is leading the effort. At least one VC firm is already considering such changes. Source: The Information, July 13, 2020.
VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger
VMware: CEO Pat Gelsinger said that for any open position at the technology company, the hiring process will have to include consideration of both a woman and a minority candidate. Source: CNBC, June 19, 2020.
YouTube: The company is launching a $100 million content fund “dedicated to amplifying and developing the voices of Black creators and artists and their stories.” Source: Silicon Valley Business Journal, June 18, 2020.
Note: Blog originally published June 18, 2020. Ongoing updates thereafter. If you have an update to share, please email details to ChannelE2E’s Joe Panettieri (Joe@AfterNines.com).
This content was originally published here.
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