Code2040’s Karla Monterroso on desegregating the tech industry

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Welcome back to CTRL+T, the TechCrunch podcast that connects the tech to the human
On this episode, we talk about the beta release of Apple latest mobile operating system and some of the issues we have with the Memoji
feature
We also discuss the fact that Microsoft improved its facial recognition tech, making it easier to identify darker skin tones
Oh great. Finally, Karla Monterroso of Code2040 joined us in the studio to drop some pretty hard truths about diversity in tech
The CEO of Code2040, which aims to increase the representation of black and brown people in the industry, says that the tech workforce is
segregated
In 2018
Think about that
And that often the burden to effect change from within a company is placed on those two or three — or one or two — black and Latinx
folks. &Managers are asking the brown people to be the tech Ruby Bridges and to come in and be full-throated in their opinions, but you are
not setting up the safety mechanisms for those people to be able to do that safely,& Monterroso says
She added that there a lot of data that says people of color drop out in the second or third years of their tech careers because they&re
often stepping into a hostile environment. &You gotta be in this conversation thinking about risk and power,& Monterroso told us
&If I am a person and I am one or two black or Latinx people in this entire company… and I say, ‘hey this thing is wrong and it hurting
me.& ….It much riskier for that person because their economic security and their social security within their company is at stake.& Click
play below to hear the full interview
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