By 2033, minority populations will make up the majority of the U.S. workforce.
So why is the tech industry still struggling with representation?
In this bold #ThroughlineThursdays episode, Rahul Sharma, Principal at BayOne Solutions, speaks with Henry Childs II about why diversity in tech isn’t just a moral imperative—it’s a business necessity.
Despite years of promises, tech’s diversity numbers haven’t shifted meaningfully. Rahul shares what pushed him to launch a diversity pledge targeting some of the world’s largest tech companies, and why this movement goes far beyond quotas.
You’ll learn:
• Why low diversity in tech undermines innovation
• The challenges people of color face in large and small tech firms
• How diversity drives long-term competitiveness
• What true accountability looks like in corporate pledges
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Timestamps:
00:10 – The origins of the diversity-in-tech initiative
00:45 – Why Make Tech Purple wasn’t enough
01:15 – The gap between corporate promises and real progress
01:40 – Alarming representation stats in tech
02:00 – The need for structural change—not just statements
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What do you think it will take to truly diversify tech? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
[00:10]
Henry Childs II:
Before the unrest and before the murder of George Floyd, you were already working on diversity in tech. You even led an initiative where some of the biggest tech companies took a pledge to increase diversity. These are companies that, for years, promised change—but the numbers never really moved. You challenged them head-on. Tell us what motivated you and what the thinking was behind that push.
Rahul Sharma:
First off, Henry—thank you for serving as an advisor to that initiative.
Toward the end of 2019, we were reflecting on our earlier work—particularly the Make Tech Purple campaign. While it had some success, we realized: It wasn’t enough. We needed to do more—especially for people of color in tech.
And here’s the reality:
These aren’t niche markets. Tech products are global, and if companies don’t reflect the diversity of the world they serve, they won’t be able to build competitive, relevant, or equitable solutions.
We spoke to a lot of leaders across the industry. And everyone felt the same frustration: the representation of people of color—especially in large corporations like Apple—was still under 5%. In smaller tech companies, it’s often worse—they don’t even take chances on diverse talent.
That’s when we knew: This was more than a representation issue. It was a competitive issue. A growth issue. A future-of-work issue.
So we launched a new initiative focused on increasing representation of people of color in tech, and we were lucky to have you, Henry, as a partner and advisor on that journey.
It’s about more than promises now—it’s about accountability and action.
