Pinterest has pledged to raise the bar for diversity as part of a $50 million settlement that resolves accusations of discrimination against the visual bookmarking site.
The settlement comes after a nearly two-year-long investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission into how the platform operated in comparison to sites like Facebook and Instagram.
In a statement, Pinterest said it was committed to “providing equal opportunities to all of our employees and maximizing diversity” and pledged to:
Reduce the number of both white and Asian employees who account for a greater share of the company’s total workforce . Pinterest currently employs 5 percent black employees and 3 percent Asian employees, about half of which come from outside Pinterest. The number of white employees over the same time period has declined from 67 percent to 58 percent.
. Pinterest currently employs 5 percent black employees and 3 percent Asian employees, about half of which come from outside Pinterest. The number of white employees over the same time period has declined from 67 percent to 58 percent. Implement unconscious bias training for all employees. Pinterest and other tech companies do this, but their technology is often employed by workers without an intimate knowledge of how it works.
Pinterest and other tech companies do this, but their technology is often employed by workers without an intimate knowledge of how it works. Eliminate unproductive email and document review processes for Pinterest employees. [prestige] This issue is related to how Pinterest manages users’ content. “To date, Pinterest has been unable to prove it has identified all infractions, and there is no documentation of how the company might identify them or if it requires prior review,” the EEOC stated in a complaint.
In a letter addressed to EEOC Commissioner Lori L. Pollak dated Aug. 1, Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann said the team was “excited to set a new, highly positive example for all tech companies to follow” with this settlement.
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