With Hispanic Heritage Month quickly approaching, Juan Betancourt, the Cuban-American CEO of Humantelligence, asks: Why are there still so few Hispanic CEOs and executive leaders in tech and what can we do about it?
MIAMI, Sept. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Although there have been advancements over the years, the broad field of technology still lacks diversity. With Hispanic Heritage month kicking off September 15, now is a good time to celebrate the many accomplishments of our Hispanic colleagues and leaders, while reflecting on the state of diversity in tech. Black, female, Latino/a, and other minorities remain greatly underrepresented throughout the tech industry.
- In 2014, Google reported that only 2.9% of its 50,000 employees were Hispanic and only 1.9% were black. Google committed over $150 million to increasing diversity but, by 2020, just 5.9% of their workforce identified as Hispanic— nowhere near representative of the U.S. population, at 19.1%
- According to a 2021 analysis of federal government data by the Pew Research Center, Hispanic workers make up 17% of total employment across all occupations, but make up just 8% of tech workers.
- According to a USA Today article, there have only been two female Hispanic CEOs in Fortune 500 companies: Geisha Williams, former CEO of PG&E, and Cheryl Miller who served as CEO of AutoNation from 2019 to 2020. Hispanics also hold fewer seats on executive boards at Fortune 500 companies than any major gender or ethnic group, making up only 1% according to the Latino Corporate Directors Association. McKinsey found that in 2022, total VC funding was $519B, but for blacks and Hispanics it was only 2.4% combined, each receiving 1.2%, despite representing 13.6% and 19.1% of the country's population. Women of all backgrounds got $48.6B, or 9.4% of total funding.
In recent years, more emphasis has been put on the importance of promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in the workplace, but the tech industry, along with other STEM fields, still has a long way to go in becoming a more equitable workforce. In addition to the bias and discrimination that still exist, a lack of access to opportunity, support and networks within the tech field, racial wage gaps, poverty, systemic inequalities, and even disparities in reliable internet access are all barriers to entry for potentially talented individuals.
"The tech industry, which prides itself on agility, has failed to move the needle on workplace diversity in any substantial way. It's important to create pathways for more diverse talent to get involved in tech. While tech training programs and bootcamps can help alleviate some barriers by potentially costing less and being quicker than the typical four-year degree, many can still be expensive and do not adequately target underrepresented groups for recruitment," said CEO of Humantelligence, Juan Betancourt.
As one of the most awarded Hispanic tech founders of 2022-23, Juan launched Humantelligence in 2016, taking a new approach to one-to-one and team communication, collaboration and inclusion. Humantelligence's Smarter Collaboration is now an AI-driven technology designed to increase human connection and make work feel more human. Humantelligence's fast growth and potential to scale into a unicorn was the reason why Endeavor.org accepted Humantelligence into its accelerator program, ScaleUp.
In addition to its ease of use, quick implementation, and ability to optimize collaboration for remote and hybrid teams, Humantelligence uses generative AI to surface personalized communication insights in the tools organizations use every day: Microsoft Teams®, Outlook®, Gmail®, Zoom®, Webex®, Slack® and calendars. Every email is optimized, and every meeting can be more productive -- leading to better individual, team, and leader performance.
Humantelligence is used by Fortune 500 companies, including Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, BASF, UnitedHealthcare Group, Accenture and Honda, to improve team performance and communication, foster inclusion and belonging, and drive meeting effectiveness — while maximizing investment in their current communication tools.
"If our economy is to thrive and innovation is to grow, we need increased representation on the top floor, in upper management. For that to happen, we have to determine the conditions that enable such inclusion—the patterns and characteristics that make success possible. That means starting learning programs in elementary schools, building mentorship programs across communities that serve to empower Hispanics and other minorities to advance their career opportunities, holding companies to their diversity goals, and building workplace technology that actually enables the inclusion and belonging of everyone."
It's important to remember this during Hispanic Heritage month and throughout the year because it will take all of us—corporate leaders, investors, innovators, and citizens—working together to shape a more inclusive, diverse, and better-performing society.
To learn more, visit www.humantelligence.com.
About Humantelligence
Humantelligence is a collaboration tool that uses generative AI to deliver personalized insights for better one-to-one & team communication and collaboration, surfaced in the communication tools you use every day: Microsoft Teams®, Outlook®, Gmail®, Zoom®, Webex®, Slack® & Calendars. It enables better human connection among employees, and as a result, companies can optimize productivity while reducing turnover and building engaged, high-performing teams. To learn more, visit humantelligence.com.
Media Contact
Victoria Guzzo, Humantelligence, Inc., 1 7082504622, [email protected], Humantelligence, Inc.
SOURCE Humantelligence, Inc.
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