How do you feel about millennials and diversity in tech?
As a Black man with ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder], it means race and ethnicity, but it also means, you know, mental health and ability or people with disabilities. It can mean a lot of different things. I think tech is paying attention to it even more. Tech has been paying attention to it for a few years now, but I think where we’re going now is beyond thinking about the number of people that we have and putting those numbers out. It’s also about the experiences that those people are having and not just the minority groups, but the majority groups and how are we coming together to make things better.
Tell us about nontraditional jobs in the tech space.
I will tell you that almost six years ago when I joined the tech industry and moved from Wall Street, I was blown away because I thought it was going to be all engineers and that, if I didn’t know how to code, I would be at a loss for a career. It’s been exactly the opposite. I would say — just a guesstimate — that about 50 percent of the jobs at each tech company are not tech. That means that if you are an accountant, a marketer, in human resources, a communications major, there are opportunities that are out there. Tech companies are companies at the end of the day.
