Hi all. This is @vorpalsmith. The @numpy_team's been having a lot of discussions behind the scenes about how we can engage better here on Twitter and in general, and I wanted to give you an update on that. (1/n)

First: many have pointed out that our recent paper's all-male authorship list shows a major problem with diversity and inclusion. These critics are 100% correct.

Our team makeup has not and does not reflect our users or the broader society, and this is a serious failing. We're not proud of this. We're working to change it. But we still have a long way to go, and you're right to hold us accountable.

We've also made a bunch of screw-ups these last two weeks here on Twitter. One was that the @numpy_team account had two critics blocked. They've been unblocked. We want—no, need—dialogue, and blocking critics does the opposite. We deeply apologize.

Also, thank you to everyone who's been helping us understand our screw-ups and how to do better — we've learned a lot, and we appreciate you.

On the other hand, to everyone who's been attacking and harassing our critics: STOP. They're making important points, and even if they weren’t, abuse is never ok.

We should have said this much sooner. We're sorry we didn't.

OK. That's what we have to say right now. If there's anything urgent that we missed, then please let us know. But otherwise, for the next while we're going to focus on listening.

And on that note, the NumPy team will also be organizing a "town hall" soon, to hear your thoughts and answer questions in more depth than Twitter allows. We'll post an update ASAP once we have the details sorted.
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