Why YC 2021 does not mentor on diversity?
I recently interviewed with a YC_W21 startup, average of 10 employees, 100% white males. The interview process felt like a Madmen episode. Strong alpha male culture, "I'm right you're wrong" communication style, boys club attitude, poor collaboration culture, no interest in diversity & inclusion. CEO unapologetically stated that they do not hire diverse because they do not find good candidates among other genders and ethnicities. This kind of statement is a shame to the company direction. They over represent white males in all their advertisings.
It is painful to witness that YC does not push for better change in 2021.
Sorry to dare asking YC partners: what kind of mentorship do you give founders about Diversity & Inclusion? Do you educate them about the benefits of recruiting diverse? How come you let them grow a team of 10 employees without diversity ratio? Diversity is not something to delay. It has to happen from the start.
It is important that YC trains founders on diversity & inclusion to be the foundation of company culture. We are in 2021, and this type of interview designed to flatter the alpha male, and discriminate the differences should not happen anymore, at least not at YC. Founders must feel comfortable working with people from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations. If they can't, they should not be YC founders, they should not become employers.
3 comments
[ 14.7 ms ] story [ 394 ms ] threadOne of the four founders of YC is a woman, Jessica Livingston, wife of Paul Graham. They were all white, but that does not prove anything.