Readings

The readings for Tuesday, September 20 are:

Diversity

1. Google finally discloses its diversity record, and it's not good

   • Apple Makes Slight Progress on Diversity While Its Rivals Are Making Practically None

2. Diversity Imbalance

   • Born for it

3. The Lack Of Diversity In Tech Is A Cultural Issue

4. Silicon Valley's plan to be more diverse

5. Silicon Valley writer: The show's lack of diversity is accurate

6. The Unsettling Truth About The Tech Sector's Meritocracy Myth

Women

1. What Really Keeps Women Out of Tech

2. When Women Stopped Coding

3. Nerdy Strutting: How to Put Women Off the Tech Industry

4. How one college went from 10% female computer-science majors to 40%

5. Why Do So Many Women Who Study Engineering Leave the Field?

6. A new survey explains one big reason there are so few women in technology

7. "I had so many advantages, and I barely made it": Pinterest engineer on Silicon Valley sexism

8. Leaked Apple emails reveal employees' complaints about sexist, toxic work environment

Minorities

1. Why Doesn't Silicon Valley Hire Black Coders?

2. The Other Side of Diversity

3. Q&A With The Black Twitter Engineer Who Left Over Diversity Problems

   • "Silicon Valley is hostile to diversity," says Slack Director of Engineering Leslie Miley

4. In tech, some minorities are too minor. This group wants to change that.

5. Racial Fault Lines in Silicon Valley

6. On Being a Black Man

Codes of Conduct

1. The Code of Conduct

   • Ubuntu Code of Conduct v2.0

   • Django Code of Conduct

2. Proposal: A Code of Conduct for the Go community

3. Code of Conflict

4. Closing a door

5. An anonymous response to dangerous FOSS Codes of Conduct

6. Why the Open Code of Conduct Isn't for Me

7. An update regarding keynote changes.

   • Why I won't be speaking at conferences with Douglas Crockford anymore.

   • Crockford

   • In Defense of Douglas Crawford

   • Inclusivity Is a Joke

Questions

Please write a response to one of the following questions:

1. From the readings and in your opinion, is the lack of diversity a problem in the technology industry? Is it something that needs to be addressed or is it just a (possibly unfortunate) reality?

   • If you believe it is a problem, then what are some obstacles faced by women and minorities? Why do these challenges exist and how could the technology industry (or society in general) work to remove these barriers and encourage more participation from women and minorities?

   • If you don't believe it is a problem, then why do you think there is this recent focus on diversity? Is it fair that there are programs targeted to women and certain minorities, but not other groups? How would you address claims of privilege?

2. From the readings and in your opinion, are Codes of Conduct necessary for technology companies, organizations, and communities? Do they serve a valid purpose or are they just another form of political correctness?

   • What do you make of some of the Codes of Conduct above? What jumps out at you as reasonable and what seems unreasonable?

   • What do you make of the recent Douglas Crockford situation? Is his removal from the Nodevember conference justified? Would you attend or support an event with a speaker that may or may not make you feel uncomfortable or have opposing views?

Feedback

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the course, please provide your feedback at the end of your response.