Apple pledges $50M to increase the presence of women, minorities & veterans in tech jobs

Posted:
in General Discussion edited March 2015
Apple has announced it will invest more than $50 million into a number of nonprofit organizations, as part of a multi-year effort to increase the presence of women, minorities and veterans working in the technology industry.



Apple's efforts were revealed by Denise Young Smith, head of human resources at the company, in an interview with Fortune. Among the organizations that will be supported are the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the National Center for Women and Information Technology.

In addition, Young Smith said that Apple is talking to military leaders in an effort to find ways to provide technology training for veterans.

Thought Apple is investing in opportunities for people who don't typically seek technology jobs, the hope is that the entire sector benefits from its efforts. That's why the money is going to nonprofits who are not associated with Apple directly, the HR director said.

"In any of these programs, we're really trying to provide focus, impact and a ripple effect --?not just on Apple," Young Smith said.

Under the leadership of Cook, Apple has been focusing on increasing diversity in its workplace in recent years. Last September, Apple also announced two $10,000 scholarships for minority university students looking at future careers in the tech industry.

Also last year, Apple published its first-ever diversity report, which was followed by a video noting that the inclusion of U.S. minorities inspires innovation. The short film was narrated by Young Smith.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 85

    Anything a company does in this nature is great.  However are minorities and women really that disadvantaged?  If a woman was driven are you telling me they would not be able to navigate into tech?  Or a black skinned american?  I am being serious.  I just do not believe that there is a disadvantage if you apply yourself.  Thoughts???

  • Reply 2 of 85
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member

    I guess from one perspective, if there are no qualified candidates to choose from in the future, then it will be much more problematic for Apple to hire any people to fill needed positions. From another perspective, I imagine this is a tax write-off. From yet another perspective, this isn't that much money. From one more perspective... will the recipients of these funds be expected to apply for a job at Apple first?

  • Reply 3 of 85
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TechProd1gy View Post

     

    Anything a company does in this nature is great.  However are minorities and women really that disadvantaged?  If a woman was driven are you telling me they would not be able to navigate into tech?  Or a black skinned american?  I am being serious.  I just do not believe that there is a disadvantage if you apply yourself.  Thoughts???




    I agree. People should be judged individually, not by race or sex or some other collectivist metric.

  • Reply 4 of 85
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member

    Suck it, Apple][. :p

  • Reply 5 of 85
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    A sad day in the history of tech.

     

    I am against all of this liberal racism and sexism. May the best qualified person get the job. That's all that should count.

     

    Not all industries will appeal to all groups of people, it is what it is. I do not believe that any external effort should be made to influence and upset the natural balance of things.

  • Reply 6 of 85

    There are already plenty of minorities working in the technology field. This Apple shareholder supports what the company is doing but we all know the meaning of minorities in the tech sense is anyone who isn't an Asian or White male. Politicians wants the demographics of every industry to perfectly reflect that of the country. 

  • Reply 7 of 85
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member

    I don't think it's about qualifications or merit but rather seeking to get a wide dynamic range of people into areas that are under served.   I'm all for hiring Veterans and women in Tech. 

  • Reply 8 of 85
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    I do not believe that any external effort should be made to influence and upset the natural balance of things.


    The nice thing about being human is that to some degree we get to shape the natural balance of things and not just settle for whatever.

  • Reply 9 of 85
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post

     

    I don't think it's about qualifications or merit but rather seeking to get a wide dynamic range of people into areas that are under served.   I'm all for hiring Veterans and women in Tech. 




    I believe you meant to say "wide range", "dynamic range" would be the photography term (HDR).

     

    Also, your comment brings up an interesting point... If the idea is to hire people to better reflect the markets Apple is selling to, shouldn't Apple almost exclusively hire Chinese workers? Apple's future is in China, not the crumbling US.

  • Reply 10 of 85
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member

    If I discovered I lost out of a job opening because a person less qualified got it just because that person was a woman, or black, or whatever.. I'd sue for discrimination.  I'm Hispanic and I don't believe one iota that a person's gender, color, etc.. should be given consideration over another applicant.



    I busted my ass to get to where I'm at.  I came from a poor, disadvantaged background and against all odds, I made it.  I didn't have anyone spoon-feed me an opportunity because of my background.  White folks back in the segregated days always did it, now we're doing it in the reverse and somehow that makes it okay?  Affirmative action for the corporate world is still discrimination.



    I'm all for more women and people of color in the workplace.  Absolutely for it, but get them in there because they earned it.



    If there aren't enough women in engineering, well then make engineering more attractive to women.



    If there aren't enough people of color in college to get those degrees, well then get those programs in place and work on society's social ills to resolve that.  There are tons of opportunities for disadvantaged folks to enter college if they choose to make the effort to do it.



    Heck... besides white folks, Asians don't seem to have any problem getting into that very desirable area either and last time I checked, asians are a "minority" group too.  Why are they able to get to that level and not others given many had the same rough upbringing?

  • Reply 11 of 85
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:



    Originally Posted by mstone View Post

     

    The nice thing about being human is that to some degree we get to shape the natural balance of things and not just settle for whatever.


     

    That may be true in certain circumstances, but I also believe that sometimes the most efficient system is to let nature run its' natural course without any outside meddling, which often makes things worse and less efficient.

     

    What's to stop any woman for example from getting into tech? If a woman is truly interested in pursuing that path, then they can just do it.

     

    When I download a game or an app, do I give a crap about if it were made by a female or a male or a gay or a minority? Of course I don't, I only care if the game or app is good or not.

     

    I want the best and most talented and qualified people to be designing computers and writing software.

  • Reply 12 of 85
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post

     



    I agree. People should be judged individually, not by race or sex or some other collectivist metric.




    The only way to prevent subconscious prejudices from popping in is to have blind interviews where the interviewer has none of that data about the interviewee

  • Reply 13 of 85
    qvakqvak Posts: 86member

    I will never understand the liberal stance on this.

     

    Women IN GENERAL do not care about engineering. They are IN GENERAL not interested in it. IN GENERAL most engineers are asian, white or middle-eastern males. Since most of the west is has majority white demographics, then most engineers are going to be white males.

     

    If you look at the numbers Apple released earlier in the year, they bear this out. Mostly men, mostly white, with a very high Asian representation too.

     

    There have been idiotic misguided programs like this since the 60s and the result has not been more women in engineering, but more women in the humanities streams. At what point will people realize that YOU CANNOT LEGISLATE AROUND HUMAN NATURE. All social engineering is draconian, and if it is against nature, always fails.

     

    If women do not care about engineering, they won't get into engineering. Women not caring is not due to "muh patriarchy" it is becaue of biology. They are drawn to more social fields because that is what they are wired to excel at.

     

    "Increase the presence of women, minorities" Look at Carly Fiorina and her legacy. Affirmative-action-promoted incompetence with monumental consequences.

     

    TL;DR: Women don't go into engineering because they don't like it, and no amount of money or social engineering is going to change that.

     

    The idea of preferentially promoting women & minorities to create numerical equality where the demographics do not support it is immoral and idiotic.

  • Reply 14 of 85
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by johnnyb0731 View Post

     



    The only way to prevent subconscious prejudices from popping in is to have blind interviews where the interviewer has none of that data about the interviewee




    Siri should be in charge of HR and hiring.

  • Reply 15 of 85
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post

     



    Siri should be in charge of HR and hiring.




    That would certainly weed out the people who have poor english speaking skills, assuming that the interview is being conducted in English.<img class=" src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies//lol.gif" />

  • Reply 16 of 85
    I wonder: if Apple hires a minority female veteran does it count three times?
  • Reply 17 of 85
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member

    ????  -   The sound of white balding heads popping.

  • Reply 18 of 85
    qvakqvak Posts: 86member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post



    I wonder: if Apple hires a minority female veteran does it count three times?

     

    Only if she is an otherkin preoperative transperson lesbian with some native ancestry who Kaballah

  • Reply 19 of 85
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by paxman View Post

     

    ????  -   The sound of white balding heads popping.




    That's a racist comment.

  • Reply 20 of 85
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by qvak View Post

     

    I will never understand the liberal stance on this.

     

    Women IN GENERAL do not care about engineering. They are IN GENERAL not interested in it. IN GENERAL most engineers are asian, white or middle-eastern males. Since most of the west is has majority white demographics, then most engineers are going to be white males.

     

    If you look at the numbers Apple released earlier in the year, they bear this out. Mostly men, mostly white, with a very high Asian representation too.

     

    There have been idiotic misguided programs like this since the 60s and the result has not been more women in engineering, but more women in the humanities streams. At what point will people realize that YOU CANNOT LEGISLATE AROUND HUMAN NATURE. All social engineering is draconian, and if it is against nature, always fails.

     

    If women do not care about engineering, they won't get into engineering. Women not caring is not due to "muh patriarchy" it is becaue of biology. They are drawn to more social fields because that is what they are wired to excel at.

     

    "Increase the presence of women, minorities" Look at Carly Fiorina and her legacy. Affirmative-action-promoted incompetence with monumental consequences.

     

    TL;DR: Women don't go into engineering because they don't like it, and no amount of money or social engineering is going to change that.

     

    The idea of preferentially promoting women & minorities to create numerical equality where the demographics do not support it is immoral and idiotic.




    I wonder if idiocy is an aging white male trait, generally?

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