Fantastic article! I’m in a similar position as you, and will have to face the same decision you did, so this was refreshing and edifying to read. Thank you for

Fantastic article! I’m in a similar position as you, and will have to face the same decision you did, so this was refreshing and edifying to read. Thank you for taking the time to write it. One thing that stuck out to me was your mention of focusing on “diversity and inclusion”. Why did that become a necessary thing for you to focus on? It seems political, and entirely unrelated to the actual work of building a good engineering team. Isn’t it enough to ensure that anyone and everyone has the same opportunity to get hired? At my company, my goal has been to ensure that all candidates get judged without focusing on attributes like gender or ethnicity; to make sure that the doors are open to everyone, no matter who they are. I then try to trust that the people who want to work in this field, and this company, are capable on their own to come to us. Has that been your experience, or has there been good reason to put extra effort into finding/favoring candidates with certain characteristics?