If you're unfamiliar with the concept, in November, Blavity hosted AfroTech, an inaugural, one-of-a-kind conference intended to connect founders, techies and employees with the fastest-growing tech startups.
Conversations ranged from raising venture funding, to combining tech and culture, to navigating the tech industry and much more.
To say it was "lit" would be a huge understatement.
AfroTech was ????????????! If you couldn't make it, we've got the videos capturing every exclusive moment. WATCH NOW: https://t.co/pRMEZqD8d2 pic.twitter.com/hZo1tOIMn0
— Blavity (@Blavity) December 6, 2016
On Wednesday, Black Twitter decided to get Dropbox up out of the paint after the tech company boasted on Twitter about its ever-growing diversity….in a picture that wasn't so "diverse" at all. In doing so, Dropbox proved the very reason why a conference such as AfroTech is needed and exists.
People were left seriously looking for the "diversity" in the photo, but they came up with nothing.
@Dropbox pic.twitter.com/CDrcWHqyQQ
— Brittny Pierre ???? (@sleep2dream) December 14, 2016
Is this what it has to come to?
@Dropbox same pic.twitter.com/D9A8Hxgms8
— Ramya (@ramyavelury) December 14, 2016
This was an important lesson in the course of #HireBlackTalent.
@Dropbox If you had hired me, I'd have told you this would be a huge fail pic.twitter.com/aWOyMgEnIW
— SiliconValleySteph (@ItsStephAlof) December 14, 2016
As well as a lesson in #ThinkBeforeYouTweet.
Dropbox was like, "oohhh, this pic about to kill em". They hit a jig and pressed tweet like they out here winning.
— Maxamillion (@RegalBasil) December 14, 2016
After their mentions were in flames, Dropbox released the following statement.
Our photo doesn’t fully represent the diverse workforce we strive for at Dropbox. Improving our diversity continues to be a top priority. pic.twitter.com/bxsMi9pwYc
— Dropbox (@Dropbox) December 14, 2016
Nice try Dropbox, but this just shows that you have a lot of work to do. Even after the photo flop, if you take a look at Dropbox's actual year-end report which is linked in the tweet, it shows that the company is still 55 percent white and 65 percent male. Women only make up 1/3 of the leadership roles in the company. The majority of the new hires are still white.
Photo: Dropbox
We saw the same thing happen with Facebook just earlier this year when they released their diversity reports. Those reports found that an overwhelming majority of their employees are white males.
Companies have to invest in diverse talent. The same old excuse doesn't work, because there is talent out there. The work just has to be put in to decrease this gap from the start. There has to be an existing thirst to actually want to have diverse talent, as opposed to just seeking to feel a quota.
And as for Dropbox, we hope to see you at next year's AfroTech.
.@dropbox We are signing up sponsors for #afrotech17 right now. Just FYI ???????? https://t.co/TWUottgltZ
— Morgan DeBaun (@MorganDeBaun) December 14, 2016
Photo: Giphy