5 ms·
Startups in the valley seem almost by definition, segregated places to work. I don't think it is intentional (or maybe in the case of Kixeye it was), but the va
by physcab 14y ago
Startups in the valley seem almost by definition, segregated places to work. I don't think it is intentional (or maybe in the case of Kixeye it was), but the vast majority of companies seem to have straight white males in their 20's as employees. What this means is that people who do not have "critical mass", ie any few numbers of minorities, are going to count the number people just like them. It will also mean stereotypes will be at their worst. Do startups hire programmers in their 50's? Do startups that make products "for women" try to hire women to work on that product? Why is it that black engineers and non-native English speaking engineers are in positions like QA and testing, but not program management? These are just a few of the trends I've noticed.
- brown9-2 14y agoWhy do you assume that "stereotypes will be at their worst" in a workforce that is mostly male, young, and white?
- wonderzombie 14y agoIt seems reasonable to suggest that more diversity would inversely correlate with comments/behavior which targets non-white, non-young, and non-males. Furthermore, working with a wide variety of people from a variety of backgrounds naturally encourages you to think about people outside of your own culture. It's a counter-example to the idea that whiteness is "normal" or "American" and (e.g.) black culture is "black" and, by implication, "not-quite-American" nor "normal."
- rmc 14y agoOne theory is that the lack of diversity is the result of, not the cause of, much subtle racism/sexism/etc.