What does Intel s announcement of its workforce diversity goals mean for the rest of Silicon Valley?
Brian Krzanich, Intel s CEO, surprised the tech industry Tuesday night at the Consumer Electronics Show when he announced that by 2020 the chip maker s workforce would represent the available talent in terms of race, ethnicity and gender, as Troy Wolverton reported in the .
Kraznich seized the moment as a call to arms for the industry.
I m announcing our intention to lead by example, Krzanich said, according to . I invite the entire tech industry to join us.
He also pledged Intel would spend $300 million to attract women and minorities to the company and to increase the diversity of the talent pool.
But it was not immediately clear what Intel s goals are and what the company will need to do to meet them. On the Mercury News workforce diversity page, Intel s demographics are not much different than other tech firms that have disclosed the data:
- Men: 76%
- Women: 24%
- White: 57%
- Asian: 29%
- Hispanic: 8%
- Black: 4%
If Intel is going to reach its goals for blacks, for example, its black workers will have to grow about 48 percent, the company told the New York Times.
Above: Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. (Intel photo).
