Hack the Pipeline for Quicker Tech Diversity
Getting to meaningful diversity in the workplace
The statistics are out at all the big tech companies, and it’s not a pretty picture. Overwhelmingly White and Asian, and Male.
The numbers are actually worse as many of the Blacks and Latinos represented by the numbers are from within the “Invisible Workforce.” These are the low-wage workers cleaning your floors and guarding your doors.
Some may dispute that even Asians have “made it,” as the numbers are not favorable in the management ranks. In effect, White males lead, Asian males code.
What is the solution? As many have suggested, it’s a “pipeline” problem in that we need to introduce computer science and computer coding to minorities and women at a younger age and broaden the opportunities to draw in them into the industry. My friend Lee Hsu recently wrote about that on this blog.
Building the pipeline is the long game, but it may take a while. I’m impatient. And it can only be part of the solution set as achieving true diversity will require a multitude of ideas and efforts.
I’d like to suggest a more immediate solution: start a company.
Change has to start at the top. If you want meaningful diversity, women and minorities must become founders. True diversity will naturally form at the highest rungs of leadership and flow through to every level below.
Some SF startups that come to mind are Gemshare and Kabam. Look at those wonderful faces of diversity!
Of course, starting a company is not simple or easy. There are not many people who do it, and for good reason. It usually ends up in failure. For many minorities, who’ve been raised to become something respectable and safe like a doctor, lawyer and engineer, starting a company is not likely on mom’s list of things to do.
This is where the rubber hits the road. Even though I’m advocating that starting a company is the spark that will generate true diversity, I’m also aware that the cultural dis-inclination to start a company is a delimiter on any significant traction. It may take some time for an entire generation to feel like, “of course I can start a company.”
As one New York Times reporter explained to me, this then becomes a “pipeline” problem again. With the proliferation of incubators and exploding coffers of venture capital, I’m a little bit more optimistic that this pipeline will come fast, in internet speed.
As mentioned above, establishing a pipeline and helping to found start ups make up only a few parts to the puzzle. There needs to be a more, complete plan that can be taken from here to there.
