Greetings and welcome back to Human Capital, your source for the latest developments in diversity, equity, inclusion, and labor trends within the technology sector.

In Brief: This week brought news of Apple designating a new leader for diversity and inclusion – their third in the past four years. Additionally, Uber reported a decrease in its Black employee representation despite public commitments to anti-racism initiatives, and Reddit welcomed a second Black member to its board of directors. 

Simultaneously, Facebook’s content moderation team voiced concerns regarding company policies requiring some personnel to work on-site during the ongoing pandemic. A recent study by Silicon Valley Rising revealed that 63% of blue-collar workers in the tech industry identify as Black or Latinx. 

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Facebook Content Moderators Advocate for Enhanced Safety Measures and Benefits

Over 200 Facebook content moderators, alongside certain full-time employees, have formally requested that the technology company cease practices that potentially endanger their well-being. This request was articulated in an open letter addressed to Facebook and its contracting partners, Accenture and Covalen. The call for action followed a report by The Intercept detailing instances where Facebook content moderators – responsible for reviewing sensitive material such as depictions of sexual abuse and graphic violence – were mandated to return to the office during the pandemic. Following their return, one content moderator reportedly received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.

Facebook subsequently justified its decision to bring some content moderators back to the workplace, explaining that it is “not able to route some of the most sensitive and graphic content to outsourced reviewers at home,” as stated by Guy Rosen, VP of Integrity, during a press briefing. “This is highly sensitive content. It’s not appropriate for individuals to review this type of material at home with family members present.”

Turo Invests $1 Million in Addressing Wealth Disparities

Car-sharing platform Turo has partnered with Kiva to provide interest-free loans to individuals from Black communities and other historically underserved groups, enabling them to purchase vehicles for use on the Turo platform. This $1 million commitment is intended to tackle the issue of wealth inequality within the United States.

The initiative, known as the Turo Seed Initiative, allows eligible applicants to raise up to $15,000 through crowdfunding, supplemented by a matching program from Turo. To qualify for funding through Kiva, applicants must demonstrate a business purpose for the loan, such as utilizing the vehicle for car sharing on Turo. Through Kiva, individuals can secure up to $7,500, which will then be matched by Turo with an additional $7,500, facilitating the purchase of a vehicle for listing on the Turo platform.

Tech Industry’s Support Staff Largely Composed of Black and Latinx Workers

A recent report from Silicon Valley Rising indicates that approximately 63% of blue-collar tech workers are Black or Latinx. This includes personnel who prepare and serve food in tech company cafeterias, operate tech shuttles, or work in roles such as security officers and custodians.

Also this week, a group of cafeteria workers previously employed at Verizon Media offices staged a protest outside the CEO’s residence in San Francisco. These workers were impacted by layoffs implemented by Verizon Media contractor Compass in September. Simultaneously, LinkedIn discontinued compensation for over 260 food service workers at the end of June, and Tesla reduced its workforce by 280 janitors and bus drivers in April. 

Navigating the Shift in Administrations: Maintaining Momentum is Crucial

This week’s edition of TC Mixtape featured an interview with Y-Vonne Hutchinson of Ready Set, discussing DEI and the implications of the change in administration for her work and the efforts of many others in the field. Here is a segment from our discussion:

Apple Announces New Leadership for Diversity and Inclusion

Apple has announced that Barbara Whye, formerly the head of D&I at Intel, will join the company as its VP of inclusion and diversity in early 2021. This appointment follows the departure of Christie Smith, Apple’s previous head of D&I, in June, who left the company “to spend time with her family,” according to an Apple spokesperson. Smith had held the position since late 2017, succeeding Denise Young Smith, Apple’s inaugural VP of diversity and inclusion, who departed after a six-month tenure.

Uber’s Diversity and Inclusion Progress Faces Setback

Uber recently published its latest diversity report, revealing a decline in the overall representation of Black employees in the U.S., despite heightened attention to racial justice following the death of George Floyd. In 2019, Black employees comprised 9.3% of Uber’s workforce, while this year, that figure has decreased to 7.5%.

Uber attributes this reduction in Black employee representation to layoffs conducted earlier in the year, during which approximately 40% of employees in community operations were affected, as explained by Uber Chief Diversity Officer Bo Young Lee to TechCrunch.

“As a company that has publicly expressed its commitment to anti-racism, this outcome is unacceptable,” she stated.

This unintentional decrease in Black representation at Uber “prompted significant introspection,” she added. “Dara was understandably concerned, as were all leaders. It underscored the ease with which progress can be lost despite dedicated efforts.”

Reddit Expands Board Representation with Second Black Director

Reddit has appointed Paula Price, a veteran board member of six public companies including Accenture and Deutsche Bank, to its board of directors. Price’s addition makes her the second Black director on the company’s board.

“Paula’s extensive experience as a leading financial executive and strategic advisor will be a valuable asset as we move forward,” stated Reddit CEO Steve Huffman in a press release. “Most importantly, she embodies the two qualities we prioritized for this Board seat: expertise in guiding companies through periods of substantial growth and a genuine commitment to Reddit’s mission.”

Prior to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s resignation from the board and his subsequent call for the company to appoint a Black director to fill his vacancy, Reddit had no Black representation on its board. Responding to Ohanian’s recommendation, Reddit appointed Y Combinator’s Michael Seibel to the board.

LAPD Discontinues Use of Commercial Facial Recognition Technology

In response to an inquiry from Buzzfeed regarding officers’ utilization of Clearview, the LAPD has prohibited the use of commercial facial recognition programs. This does not preclude the LAPD from continuing to employ facial recognition systems that compare images to existing suspect booking records, but it will no longer utilize tools that rely on data from social media and other publicly available websites.