While I think it is admirable for companies to think about how they can help with racial injustice, I am a bit shocked at how far Microsoft is going with their actions. I feel it crosses a line from fighting for equality (meaning equality of opportunity) to being discriminatory itself (seeking equity, or equality of outcomes).
This post indicates:
- Microsoft will set hiring quotas based on race (seems illegal)
- Microsoft will create promotion programs and pipelines that are only available if you belong to certain races (seems illegal)
- Microsoft will change compensation for executives based on their Diversity & Inclusivity numbers (seems illegal)
- Microsoft will select vendors based on their demographic composition
This looks and feels a lot like the controversy involving Harvard and other universities that practice "holistic admissions", which is essentially a discriminatory affirmative action process under a different brand.
This post indicates:
- Microsoft will set hiring quotas based on race (seems illegal)
- Microsoft will create promotion programs and pipelines that are only available if you belong to certain races (seems illegal)
- Microsoft will change compensation for executives based on their Diversity & Inclusivity numbers (seems illegal)
- Microsoft will select vendors based on their demographic composition
This looks and feels a lot like the controversy involving Harvard and other universities that practice "holistic admissions", which is essentially a discriminatory affirmative action process under a different brand.