> I don't feel the diversity should be sought for its own sake. The best applicant should be hired every single time - although I do feel that it is okay to con

> I don't feel the diversity should be sought for its own sake. The best applicant should be hired every single time - although I do feel that it is okay to consider diversity as a tie-breaker when choosing between equally qualified candidates. That would be ideal, but that's not how hiring works. If it was, we'd have a far more diverse workforce. On the first day of hiring 101, they teach you that people tend to hire others who are like themselves; it's just instinct. I've had recruiters bring me candidates who all were the same race and gender as I am, and within about 5 years of my age. I didn't even realize it until I thought about that principle. But even more than that, people hire others that they know, and the people we know are dictated by the established social structure. Thus the structure is self-reinforcing, unless you actively do something to stop it, you perpetuate it. Upper middle-class white guys generally don't know many black or Latino people; they know other guys like themselves from growing up, from college, etc., so that's who they do business with. Steve Ballmer got his job because he knew Bill Gates at Harvard; what was the chance that Gates' classmate was going to be black or Latino, or that his buddy would be a woman? Dropbox initially got an intro to YC because Drew Houston had been big brother in an MIT fraternity to another YC founder.[0] How diverse is that fraternity? There's zero chance of the big brother being female; is the chance much higher of being black or Latino? Drew did a great job, but how many Drews are out there that never got the chance? Given that white guys are ~33% of the U.S. population but the overwhelming number of founders, CEOs, etc., I'd guess most 'Drews' never get an opportunity. (Worldwide the number is far greater, of course.) [0] https://blog.ycombinator.com/congratsdropbox/ https://blog.ycombinator.com/congratsdropbox/