Re:AI researcher Timnit Gebru resigns from Google
by jodrellblank on Thursday December 03, 2020 @03:15PM
(#25294114)
Do you think the predominance of men in tech is "hiring by skill alone" and that it just happens there are almost no skilled women?
Do you think it's possible that you can "hire by skill alone" and given two equally skilled people - one man, one woman - always hire the man, and that you could hire some equally skilled women if you randomised or removed whatever male-bias exists in your hiring?
Do you think it's possible that there are equally skilled men and women available to employers to hire, but that employers have built frat-boy workplaces where only men are interested in working, and cultures that drive away skilled women?
Do you think "hire by skill alone" means always hiring the most expensive people - like buying jewellery by value alone? What if a company can't afford to staff with all the maximally skilled people, but can get 80% of the skills for 50% of the money?
What about hiring people who can be trained or skilled up, and training them?
What about teams, where the collective skills can be greater than the sum of their parts, but maybe not if all the parts are identical?
Do you think it's possible that you can "hire by skill alone" and given two equally skilled people - one man, one woman - always hire the man, and that you could hire some equally skilled women if you randomised or removed whatever male-bias exists in your hiring?
Do you think it's possible that there are equally skilled men and women available to employers to hire, but that employers have built frat-boy workplaces where only men are interested in working, and cultures that drive away skilled women?
Do you think "hire by skill alone" means always hiring the most expensive people - like buying jewellery by value alone? What if a company can't afford to staff with all the maximally skilled people, but can get 80% of the skills for 50% of the money?
What about hiring people who can be trained or skilled up, and training them?
What about teams, where the collective skills can be greater than the sum of their parts, but maybe not if all the parts are identical?