3 ms·

I'm black ,what is this ? affirmative action pt2 ? you dont need to "recruit more black entrepreneurs" , you need to recruit entrepreneurs wether they are black

by aikah 12y ago

I'm black ,what is this ? affirmative action pt2 ? you dont need to "recruit more black entrepreneurs" , you need to recruit entrepreneurs wether they are black,yellow,brown,man,woman,trans without prejudice,based only on their skills. Or if "Y Combinator to recruit more black entrepreneurs" means they were discriminated against before, we want a few good negros to look good, just like a few women here and there ,and build "girls who code" clubs for PR,so the tech world is not labelled as racist or sexist ? The tech world is racist,and sexist. The VC world is way beyond racist or sexist ,it's a culture of nepotism.You cant change that.It's like electing a black president,you may look good abroad but at home noone is dumb enough to think anything has changed. It's even worse to consider minorities as "people that need help".We dont need help we need equality at first place,there is none.

jmathai 12y ago
I'm Indian. I don't believe I face the same difficulties that blacks do. It also feels weird to respond but I'll give it a go. > We dont need help we need equality at first place,there is none. I don't disagree. Don't you believe that making special efforts to get minority groups into something can do more good than harm? Perhaps it depends on the details of how it's done but if done correctly I think it can help. There isn't equality and there won't be equality anytime soon. That's why I believe deliberate effort has its place. It doesn't have to imply an imbalance of equality. Instead it can acknowledge the imbalance of perceived equality and aim to eradicate the false assumptions. I don't for an instance claim that one race or sex is intrinsically more intelligent. But I'll admit that I do believe entire groups of people are marginalized and it creates an unleveled playing field. One which should be level. It applies to many groups. People who are poor, black, hispanic, gay, women, obese, unattractive, etc. If you fall into these groups you'll have felt some level of discrimination. Some more than others (i.e. someone who's poor, black and gay will have felt it more acutely than someone who's just gay). I don't know. I think it this can be done in a respectful manner with good intent and without being derogative. Would you disagree? If so what's the more realistic solution?
arjie 12y ago
Suppose people of all races are equally capable founders. Suppose that it so happens that VC firms are only well known in certain demographics. We all know that often it is hard to recognize a problem if it doesn't affect you. If different demographics have at least some different problems, and if it is one demographic that's primarily being funded, then you gain a market advantage going after the less well known problems. So don't take it personally. It isn't about you. It's about looking for the next big thing in a place that isn't as crowded with other treasure hunters.
ajiang 12y ago
I don't know if that's the intention nor the message this generates. It's easy and popular amongst tech folks to say "Why don't we just take the best?" or "Let's make it based on merit". The reality is that Silicon Valley, like much of the world, has its biases and faults. Statistically speaking, we don't have enough women or black people building and leading tech companies. Just compare the percentage of female and black students at Ivy League institutions with the percentage in tech. Racism and sexism might explain some of that, but pattern recognition also plays a major factor. Many hiring managers / VCs have had success in the past with a particular type of engineer / entrepreneur and, whether or not its a conscious decision, make choices influenced by that experience. Y Combinator and others in taking a stance in supporting women and black entrepreneurs are not doing it out of pity or niceness. They recognize the existence of bias on race and sex, which should have nothing to do with how successful an entrepreneur should be, and are trying to correct it. They stand to gain a competitive advantage if they are able to remove bias from their investment decisions, and they can make a real impact on the valley. Kudos to them.

by aikah 12y ago

jmathai 12y ago

I'm Indian. I don't believe I face the same difficulties that blacks do. It also feels weird to respond but I'll give it a go. > We dont need help we need equality at first place,there is none. I don't disagree. Don't you believe that making special efforts to get minority groups into something can do more good than harm? Perhaps it depends on the details of how it's done but if done correctly I think it can help. There isn't equality and there won't be equality anytime soon. That's why I believe deliberate effort has its place. It doesn't have to imply an imbalance of equality. Instead it can acknowledge the imbalance of perceived equality and aim to eradicate the false assumptions. I don't for an instance claim that one race or sex is intrinsically more intelligent. But I'll admit that I do believe entire groups of people are marginalized and it creates an unleveled playing field. One which should be level. It applies to many groups. People who are poor, black, hispanic, gay, women, obese, unattractive, etc. If you fall into these groups you'll have felt some level of discrimination. Some more than others (i.e. someone who's poor, black and gay will have felt it more acutely than someone who's just gay). I don't know. I think it this can be done in a respectful manner with good intent and without being derogative. Would you disagree? If so what's the more realistic solution?

arjie 12y ago

Suppose people of all races are equally capable founders. Suppose that it so happens that VC firms are only well known in certain demographics. We all know that often it is hard to recognize a problem if it doesn't affect you. If different demographics have at least some different problems, and if it is one demographic that's primarily being funded, then you gain a market advantage going after the less well known problems. So don't take it personally. It isn't about you. It's about looking for the next big thing in a place that isn't as crowded with other treasure hunters.

ajiang 12y ago

I don't know if that's the intention nor the message this generates. It's easy and popular amongst tech folks to say "Why don't we just take the best?" or "Let's make it based on merit". The reality is that Silicon Valley, like much of the world, has its biases and faults. Statistically speaking, we don't have enough women or black people building and leading tech companies. Just compare the percentage of female and black students at Ivy League institutions with the percentage in tech. Racism and sexism might explain some of that, but pattern recognition also plays a major factor. Many hiring managers / VCs have had success in the past with a particular type of engineer / entrepreneur and, whether or not its a conscious decision, make choices influenced by that experience. Y Combinator and others in taking a stance in supporting women and black entrepreneurs are not doing it out of pity or niceness. They recognize the existence of bias on race and sex, which should have nothing to do with how successful an entrepreneur should be, and are trying to correct it. They stand to gain a competitive advantage if they are able to remove bias from their investment decisions, and they can make a real impact on the valley. Kudos to them.