True, and if this story is true, it also surprises me in a nasty way because a) I am Indian, and until now had largely thought that we were largely a privilege

True, and if this story is true, it also surprises me in a nasty way because a) I am Indian, and until now had largely thought that we were largely a privileged class within tech, if not outside it -- and consequently weren't affected by race issues within it. b) All of the articles about how oh-so-wonderfully Automattic does their remote work had always led me to believe they were a forward-thinking, "good" company. If they are bringing up race in an interview it completely destroys this perception.