I'm sure that happens sometimes in interviews. I think more often there are multiple qualified people for a given position and the chosen candidate is the one t

I'm sure that happens sometimes in interviews. I think more often there are multiple qualified people for a given position and the chosen candidate is the one that the interviewers feel more comfortable interacting with. People usually feel most comfortable interacting with people who have a similar background to themselves. Also, a lot of people's sense of identity, self worth, and community standing is based on their jobs. Hiring people from groups that diminish or clash with that isn't in the interest of the people doing the hiring. That's the main reason I don't think most hiring is meritocratic, including in tech.