Apple's Diversity Chief Christie Smith Leaves the Company

[rgbrock1]

It’s guaranteed that this job will be filled by a non-white person. That’s a good thing.

But you can’t help thinking that this move is purely a stunt to look good.

Why, a position should be filled based on someone's race or ethnicity and not qualifications?
sounds racist to me.
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People who claim not to be racist, hiring with focus on race.
People who claim not to discriminate against others sexual orientation, making sexual orientation a decision factor in hiring...

What you just described there is partly a definition of the word, hypocrisy.
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People who claim not to be racist, hiring with focus on race.
People who claim not to discriminate against others sexual orientation, making sexual orientation a decision factor in hiring...

What you just described there is partly a definition of the word, hypocrisy.

Diversity is cancer! Hire on skills and promote on merits.

Ach! Sacre bleu. Off with your head. /sarc

 

[Plutonius]

My opinion only but she could have done much better in her choice of glasses.

 

[guzhogi]

Is it me, or does she look like the love child of Cameron Diaz and Carson Kressley?

 

[gbc204]

Diversity is cancer! Hire on skills and promote on merits.

You know that's the whole point right? The flipside of diversity is racial bias. And we need calls for diversity BECAUSE there's racial bias that affects hiring. So while it's obvious that people should be hired based on skills, that often doesn't happen. How many times have you gotten a job where you knew absolutely no one at the company, and just applied cold? Why do you think job sites like LinkedIn make a big deal about "connections?" Connections are just as important as experience, for better or worse. And when the top of a company looks homogeneous, you can bet a lot of the people they hire will look like them. Ideally one day we wouldn't need positions like "diversity coordinator," but just like the NFL has the Rooney rule, companies need to make a concerted effort to increase diversity, which is the only way we'll ever get to a true merit-based system. Or at least close to it. because people will always want to hire their friends/college roommates etc.

 

[Chocolatemilty]

I come to this discussion as a black man in America, not necessarily in the field of technology (I run a Music Lessons business and on the management team of a real estate company), but we do use Apple devices overwhelmingly in our work. I understand that management structures in corporate America should be led by a meritocracy and not simply in the name of diversity. However....we as Americans of all races and backgrounds are NOT at equal footing across the board in America yet. When I say this, just please listen to me and don’t try to argue your point with whataboutism. It’s the facts here in America.

When I see comments on these MacRumors stories cracking jokes about hiring an uber-diverse person, or a wisecrack about Smith being pushed out so Apple can hire a black person, I realize even more than we just have so much farther to go for folks (especially white, white-passing, or white-adjacent American males) to recognize it. This isn’t a joke to me, this is real life, y’all.

Anecdotally, you may see what I do and say “see?! You got to where you are because of meritocracy!” Actually, to the contrary. I own a business and help to run my family’s business after being passed over for job after job I was overqualified for with other companies that was filled by folks way less qualified than I, until I decided I’ll just do it myself. I’ve had to work harder than the one next to me just to get to where they are. So when I see a management team that doesn’t truly reflect what America is or what a company espouses to be, it’s a little off-putting and discouraging as an adult -- I can only imagine what it’s like for that nerdy black teenager in the hood who sees Tim, Craig or Phil and wants to do what they do at the keynote and behind the scenes, only to log onto the website and look at that executive page and wonder if they can even get there. Yes, I don’t expect Eddy, Phil, Jeff, Luca etc. to step down or be fired based on their white male background, of course not. However, I’d love to see the executive team expand and have that include more people of color and women. Apple has begun to do that, but they — and Apple would and has acknowledged this — have so far to go there.

I’m not trying to denounce anyone here or start any type of flame wars here. I’m just attempting to offer a different perspective.

I wish Christy Smith well in her next challenge.

 

[forerunnerg34]

You know how people say "A picture is worth a thousand words"
Well I have just, a moment ago, taken this image from Apple's own website.

I don't have to say a word..........
Just let you, upon seeing this. Judge for yourself just how serious Apple is as a company to being inclusive to all, and if you feel the words they say, actually mean anything in reality:

View attachment 924766

For me, "inclusive" means trying that all of us have the same chances and opportunities regardless of gender, race, age disabilities, etc. If we could all play in the same field and under the same conditions, what remains is our skills. However is not a simple topic, many times people can't even get in the field.

 

[5105973]

diversity: hiring people based on skin color.... i.e. RACIST

Oh come on there is, or at least there should be more to this diversity chief job than that. It’s about making sure the paths are open and unblocked.

I used to think because we have laws preventing racial discrimination and some system of quotas that we had it solved. I’m pretty sure I even posted something to that effect before on this forum. I was an idiot.

Watching my husband trying to build opportunities for women and minorities in technology has been an education. You’d think as a non-white woman I’d intrinsically understand the barriers myself, having run into some of them myself. But somewhere along the line I put on blinders. Perhaps because I was privileged to work with kind, inclusive white males. But I made a mistake assuming my experience gave me the right to assume conditions for others. That’s why we need Diversity Chiefs, to keep knocking the blinders off.

Someone in charge of diversity ideally should be working with schools and universities to develop a path to careers that historically marginalized people can and more importantly will want to access.

They will identify and work with community resources to mitigate barriers for women and minorities. One particular aspect to be examined is how transportation costs and childcare costs pose barriers to potential hires. And of course there’s the long-standing task of eliminating elements that contribute to a hostile work environment like assuming a woman or minority is in a position just to fill a quota and isn’t in fact well vetted.

(Also, do keep in mind the flip side of diversity chiefs ensuring men entering previously female oriented careers like nursing are well supported).

We can’t look at how hard Covid-19 has disproportionately impacted minority communities and pretend minorities have equal access to opportunities across the board. In some places and circumstances, yes. But how widespread is that, really?

 

[JagRunner]

When I see comments on these MacRumors stories cracking jokes about hiring an uber-diverse person, or a wisecrack about Smith being pushed out so Apple can hire a black person, I realize even more than we just have so much farther to go for folks (especially white, white-passing, or white-adjacent American males) to recognize it. This isn’t a joke to me, this is real life, y’all.

They're cracking jokes about it...and then expect us to believe they aren't racially biased when hiring.

A lot of minorities, especially African Americans, don't even get called back based on their resume. And they're laughing and cracking jokes. And some of these folks are probably in leadership positions in their company.

We still have a looooonng way to go.

Peace out.

 

[hans1972]

You know how people say "A picture is worth a thousand words"
Well I have just, a moment ago, taken this image from Apple's own website.

I don't have to say a word..........
Just let you, upon seeing this. Judge for yourself just how serious Apple is as a company to being inclusive to all, and if you feel the words they say, actually mean anything in reality:

View attachment 924766

Much more diverse than most Norwegian companies which consist mostly of Norwegians.

Italians = Craig Federighi, Luca Maestri
Pakistani = Sabih Khan
German = Phil Schiller
Norwegian = Tor Myhren
Chinese = Isabel Ge Mahe
Palestinian = Johny Srouji
Scottish: John Giannandrea

Unsure about Eddy Cue but I believe he comes from a proud family of billiard players from England.

 

[SSDGUY]

Doesn't calling her a "chief" constitute cultural appropriation? Confusing times, in we are.

 

[farmboy]

THIS. Unfortunately, because it requires quite a bit of effort, most companies do the exact opposite: instead of fighting for equal opportunities, they start literally shoving in the minorities in every possible position and call that "diversity".

Who "they"? And enlighten us as to the corporations that are "literally shoving in the minorities in every possible position".
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It's not just bad, it's terrible, because it will lead to hiring - in this case - a lot of less competent women and dismissing a lot of sufficiently qualified men.

...and there it is. Not much point in a civil conversation. Have a nice day.

 

[Osamede]

Apparently some people think that ignorance is the future. It's not. Bias is a real problem, even when people think they are "hiring the best" - they can actually be hiring people that they are biased towards.


Even a company like Google understands this. They too are struggling to overcome it, but this is knowledge, folks

Here's the presentation Google gives employees on how to spot unconscious bias at work

More than half of Google's roughly 60,000 employees have voluntarily gone through this training. Here's the training slide deck.

www.businessinsider.com

Google's 'bias-busting' workshops target hidden prejudices

Some 2,000 of the Internet giant's nearly 56,000 employees have taken the workshops.

eu.usatoday.com

Exposing Hidden Bias at Google (Published 2014)

The tech giant is undertaking a long-term effort to make its employees aware of how unconscious biases can affect hiring and promotion decisions.

www.nytimes.com

What's grotesque and offensive is the loudmouth "American talibans" who are desperate to virulently spread ignorance and pretend away knowledge. This country will not go anywhere but backward, until ignorance is called out for what it is, and we start building forward on what we know can make us better.

 

[crawfish963]

It’s guaranteed that this job will be filled by a non-white person. That’s a good thing.

But you can’t help thinking that this move is purely a stunt to look good.

If the non-white person doesn’t do a good job, is it still a good thing? The very implication that race makes a difference in performance is a MASSIVE show of racism on your part. Do you not see that???

 

[Dammit Cubs]

that is a solid pair of teeth on that lady. perfectly aligned. Winning life.

 

[ajfahey]

You know how people say "A picture is worth a thousand words"
Well I have just, a moment ago, taken this image from Apple's own website.

I don't have to say a word..........
Just let you, upon seeing this. Judge for yourself just how serious Apple is as a company to being inclusive to all, and if you feel the words they say, actually mean anything in reality:

View attachment 924766

I have never been able to figure out if a person is a competent manger, product developer or innovator by simply by looking at picture of them. Is this a special skill you have?

 

[Aston441]

You know how people say "A picture is worth a thousand words"
Well I have just, a moment ago, taken this image from Apple's own website.

I don't have to say a word..........
Just let you, upon seeing this. Judge for yourself just how serious Apple is as a company to being inclusive to all, and if you feel the words they say, actually mean anything in reality:

View attachment 924766

Most successful company on Earth too.

 

[Black Belt]

Apple has money to burn. What a stupid position. No wonder they’re late on all their products.

 

[Bonte]

They tried it with Dr. Dre but that didn't really work out.

 

[Koh Phi Phi]

I am uncertain why new-age companies feel the need to include "diversity" as a hiring factor.

Shouldnt merits, experience and skills dictate who's the most appropriate candidate for each position? That's TRUE equality: may the best candidate win, regardless of gender, color, religion, etc. For this reason, in my opinion forced diversity goes against true equality.

 

[Pangalactic]

Who "they"? And enlighten us as to the corporations that are "literally shoving in the minorities in every possible position".

Accenture sets staffing goal of 50% women and 50% men by 2025

CEO Pierre Nanterme said the company's ultimate goal is to create a "gender-balanced workforce."

www.hrdive.com

Unilever achieves 50/50 gender balance across global leadership

FMCG giant said it has higher representation of female managers than ever before.

www.campaignlive.co.uk

 

[Apple2GS]

Its all marketing and PR. There is no way that Apple or any successful company would consider diversity for critical jobs. Imagine Apple back in the day saying, "Sorry Steve Jobs we are looking for someone more diverse".

 

[Piggie]

Most successful company on Earth too.

It's funny though that t the same time they are one of the most unimportant.

Apple went out of business, not much would happen.
The PC went out of business, the world would collapse

Funny that

 

[Aston441]

I am uncertain why new-age companies feel the need to include "diversity" as a hiring factor. Shouldnt merits, experience and skills dictate who's the most appropriate candidate for each position? That's TRUE diversity in my opinion: may the best candidate win, regardless of gender, color, religion, etc.

Because equality of opportunity does not produce equality of outcome. Merit based rewards have no role in modern society.

Equality of outcome is the goal. If you oppose this, you need reeducation because your thoughts are racist.

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

Diversity is cancer! Hire on skills and promote on merits.

Encourage diversity in applications, upskilling and opportunities to progress but hire on merit, skills and attitude, not a diversity checklist.

 

[FrankieTDouglas]

Because equality of opportunity does not produce equality of outcome. Merit based rewards have no role in modern society.

Equality of outcome is the goal. If you oppose this, you need reeducation because your thoughts are racist.

This post is classic Poe's law.