Read on Twitter
Lack of diversity in tech is no accident.
Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal, returned to his alma mater Stanford in 2012 to teach his now famous "CS183: Startups" course.
Thiel invited PayPal co-founder Max Levchin to guest lecture and asked Levchin "How do you build culture?" :
Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal, returned to his alma mater Stanford in 2012 to teach his now famous "CS183: Startups" course.
Thiel invited PayPal co-founder Max Levchin to guest lecture and asked Levchin "How do you build culture?" :
Levchin continued, telling a story about how, in PayPal's early days, an excellent engineering candidate was rejected because "he liked to play hoops."
Keep this story in mind when someone tells you that tech is a meritocracy.
Keep this story in mind when someone tells you that tech is a meritocracy.
Levchin told a story about a woman candidate who was hired at PayPal (against their better judgment) because ... she played ping pong.
This lecture wasn't given in the 1980s or even the 90s; it was in 2012. The same year that @ekp filed her landmark sex discrimination lawsuit.
This lecture wasn't given in the 1980s or even the 90s; it was in 2012. The same year that @ekp filed her landmark sex discrimination lawsuit.
The notes from Thiel's CS183 lectures, including the guest lecture by Max Levchin, can be found here: https://blakemasters.com/post/21437840885/peter-thiels-cs183-startup-class-5-notes-essay
Levchin has gotten a lot of flack over the years for these and similar remarks, and below I link to some sources where he attempts to clarify.
Levchin has gotten a lot of flack over the years for these and similar remarks, and below I link to some sources where he attempts to clarify.
In this 2018 Bloomberg interview with @emilychangtv, Max Levchin doesn't directly address his comments.
He does try to explain the "why" behind the structural lack of diversity in most startups (non-diverse founding teams under time pressure to hire): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2018-02-07/paypal-co-founder-max-levchin-on-diversity-in-silicon-valley-video
He does try to explain the "why" behind the structural lack of diversity in most startups (non-diverse founding teams under time pressure to hire): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2018-02-07/paypal-co-founder-max-levchin-on-diversity-in-silicon-valley-video
In a 2019 interview with @qz at a Sequoia Capital event, Levchin tries to unpack his comments on "culture fit"
I don't see much daylight between Levchin's comments and the "lowering the bar" canard one hears raised as an objection to hiring diverse teams. https://qz.com/813525/a-member-of-paypal-mafia-says-hiring-for-culture-fit-is-completely-overrated/
I don't see much daylight between Levchin's comments and the "lowering the bar" canard one hears raised as an objection to hiring diverse teams. https://qz.com/813525/a-member-of-paypal-mafia-says-hiring-for-culture-fit-is-completely-overrated/
For an eloquent evisceration of the "lowering the bar" argument, see @shaft's Medium post "Thoughts on Diversity Part 2. Why Diversity is Difficult." https://link.medium.com/gwJDtbK2T0
I know how easy it is to take frustration and horror, and use that energy to hate someone with.
I'm not saying don't be angry, but it's more productive to be angry at the *system* that churns out one Peter Thiel after another.
Remove Thiel, and the system creates another one.
I'm not saying don't be angry, but it's more productive to be angry at the *system* that churns out one Peter Thiel after another.
Remove Thiel, and the system creates another one.
The business model of elite American universities is simple:
1. Hoard wealth (Harvard's endowment fund is worth over $37B)
2. Create captains of industry, who then become donors.
3. Capture IP licensing revenue (remember Google's first website was google<dot>stanford<dot>edu)
1. Hoard wealth (Harvard's endowment fund is worth over $37B)
2. Create captains of industry, who then become donors.
3. Capture IP licensing revenue (remember Google's first website was google<dot>stanford<dot>edu)
I'm not saying there aren't amazing people doing work inside Stanford, MIT, Harvard and Yale to benefit humanity.
It's just that those things happen to be incidental to the core capitalist mission of the institution.
When they come into conflict, guess which side tends to win?
It's just that those things happen to be incidental to the core capitalist mission of the institution.
When they come into conflict, guess which side tends to win?
So, this is actually a good question. It's clearly possible to build a startup and cash out on exit WITHOUT hiring a diverse team. It's literally the Silicon Valley playbook.
You can also have a successful exit by, I dunno, stealing intellectual property. https://twitter.com/CruzCalvo/status/1185722359782748160?s=20
You can also have a successful exit by, I dunno, stealing intellectual property. https://twitter.com/CruzCalvo/status/1185722359782748160?s=20
I've been thinking a lot about the "diverse teams perform better" argument. I believe it. I've seen it here at @habitu8.
But I've also seen plenty of NON-diverse teams be good enough & lucky enough to get huge payouts.
But ... do you want to make the world WORSE, or better?
But I've also seen plenty of NON-diverse teams be good enough & lucky enough to get huge payouts.
But ... do you want to make the world WORSE, or better?
As for the tradeoff between diversity and speed of execution.
If the first time you EVER think about diversity is the day you start hiring for your startup, then yeah, you got problems.
The founder who already HAS a diverse network is going to hire faster and better than you.
If the first time you EVER think about diversity is the day you start hiring for your startup, then yeah, you got problems.
The founder who already HAS a diverse network is going to hire faster and better than you.
Levchin's argument about "build for speed, not diversity" is misinformed by a lifetime spent surrounded by only white men.
If your whole network is white dudes, and you've never been curious or proactive about expanding that, of course you're going to think there's a tradeoff.
If your whole network is white dudes, and you've never been curious or proactive about expanding that, of course you're going to think there's a tradeoff.
If you think you might need to hire people 5 years from now, start working on diversity TODAY.
There's tons of super-talented Black & LatinX tech folks (and guess what, they know OTHER super-talented tech people).
If they're not in your network now, fix your shit. They're here.
There's tons of super-talented Black & LatinX tech folks (and guess what, they know OTHER super-talented tech people).
If they're not in your network now, fix your shit. They're here.
Here, Max ( @mlevchin) responds to this thread.
I included Levchin’s more recent Bloomberg interview & Quartz article so that folks can hear his words instead of mine.
The system is a far bigger problem than the actions of any one person. https://twitter.com/mlevchin/status/1185958232394567680?s=21
I included Levchin’s more recent Bloomberg interview & Quartz article so that folks can hear his words instead of mine.
The system is a far bigger problem than the actions of any one person. https://twitter.com/mlevchin/status/1185958232394567680?s=21
Anyway. Follow @operaqueenie and @polotek because they’re writing some of my favorite stuff out there on diversity in tech.
Thiel is one of many Silicon Valley billionaires who have been influenced by Ayn Rand.
It’s telling that Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” is about the railroad industry.
The railroad monopolies of the Gilded Age draw paralllels to today’s tech monopolies. Thread: https://twitter.com/chadloder/status/1185994374821187584?s=21
It’s telling that Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” is about the railroad industry.
The railroad monopolies of the Gilded Age draw paralllels to today’s tech monopolies. Thread: https://twitter.com/chadloder/status/1185994374821187584?s=21
For more reading on Peter Thiel, Levchin and the attitudes of the so-called "PayPal Mafia", check out @emilychangtv's excellent book "Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley" https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525540172/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0525540172&linkCode=as2&tag=chadloder-20&linkId=0c4cb412a240201161cc9cfae5a71e05
