Are Hiring for Merit & Prioritizing Diversity Incompatible at a Fast-Growing Startup? (Answer: No)

Why I Initially Misunderstood Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman’s Comments But Still Find Them Disappointing

Update: Frank Slootman released a new statement on Monday 6/7. Added what I mentioned below was unfortunately not said in his earlier interview.

“The truth is that all individuals are not treated equally. No serious person can believe otherwise. All individuals don’t have the same opportunities, be it in the workplace or in society as a whole. This has long been the case, and it remains the case today. Sadly, racism, discrimination and prejudice are still common in our society. This reality is that corporate leaders like myself, and companies like Snowflake, must fight daily to ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion help lead our thinking, and our actions.”

Original Post Below

The article title read “Snowflake CEO Says Diversity Goal is Secondary in Hiring Choices” and my immediate reaction was a flash of UGH, another Silicon Valley exec thinking diversity and the ‘quality bar’ is an OR instead of an AND!!! But then I watched the interview and was left with a slightly different read of his intentions, but one which still fell short of the moment.

The specific section starts at 12m45s (although the culture and workplace conversation begins closer to 8m30s with remote work…