While Silicon Valley still struggles to reach diversity goals, Twitter had a major fail recently when it came to promoting diversity at the tech giant.
During a four-day event at the 45th annual convention of the National Society of Black Engineers in Detroit, Twitter was there trying to woo Black engineers. In attendance were nearly 16,000 college students studying computer engineering, information technology, electrical engineering, and other disciplines.
This would seem like a good move to try and recruit future Black engineers, but Twitter stumbled when it released two staff photos showing all-white employees. The company posted a photo of CEO Jack Dorsey with some local staff members at their Woodward Avenue branch office. All eight people shown are white. The race of two others at bottom right can’t be determined), Deadline Detroit reported.
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Twitter also tweeted a live stream of Dorsey talking with Donald Trump supporters and billionaire Dan Gilbert. Gilbert, founder of Quicken Loans and Rock Ventures, has been blamed for displacing thousands of lower-income residents in Detroit because of gentrification caused by his projects.
“We hear you on the lack of diversity,” Detroit’s Twitter office said in response to the criticism. “We’re committed to making our company reflect the people we serve, and that includes here in Detroit. We’ve got a lot more work to do. We have a team at NSBE now and we look forward to connecting with the amazing people there.”
