The inaugural South by South Lawn took place this week at The White House in DC. The purpose of the event was to explore innovative ideas, art, and action within American society. Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfiel spoke at the event about his company’s tech advances and commitment to diversity.
Buttefiel explained that hiring practices are easier to implement when companies are small versus when a company hiring culture has been created. For Slack, the benefits of diversity are large enough that it has become a priority. The company believes that diversity is more than just “the right thing to do” and sees it positively affecting its bottom line.
Success sometimes creates a certain way of doing things that cannot be changed overnight. For all its innovation, the tech industry is not very innovative when it comes to workforce solutions. Hopefully Slack can continue its growth with a highly diverse workforce and create a model for other companies to follow. Until then, the same old Stanford and Harvard ideas will lead our society.
