Apple’s head of diversity and inclusion Christie Smith is leaving the company, Bloomberg News reports, citing “people familiar with the matter.”
Shelly Banjo and Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
Smith joined Apple in 2017 after 16 years at consultancy Deloitte… Smith joined Apple in 2017 after 16 years at consultancy Deloitte. Unlike her predecessor, who reported directly to the CEO, Smith reported to Apple’s Senior Vice President of Retail and People Deirdre O’Brien. The previous person in the role, Denise Young Smith, lasted only six months and left after apologizing for controversial comments she made about the mostly white makeup of Apple’s executive team.
“Inclusion and diversity are core Apple values and we deeply believe the most diverse teams are the most innovative teams,” Apple said in an emailed statement confirming the news. “Christie Smith will be leaving Apple to spend more time with her family and we wish her well. Our Inclusion and Diversity team continues to report directly to Deirdre O’Brien on the Executive Team.”
Apple said the move was planned two months ago, though a person familiar with the matter said Christie Smith’s last day was Tuesday. She was unique among Apple’s executive team in commuting from Seattle to Cupertino.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple’s “Inclusion & Diversity” info is here.
Is there a less relevant position?
Assistant to Head of Diversity…?
The rock has been removed exposing the UNDERWORLD….
Assistant Junior MAGA Trainee!
And enter black trans vegan woman of short stature amputee.
That’ll tick many of their diversity boxes.
Whoops. She’s a Republican. Overqualified.
You mean the head is BS and BS?
BS to diversity. Hire the best regardless of race. Anything else is racist
I agree, except when you have a Selection regime that is incapable of selecting people on that basis, which is far too often sadly.
She was a blonde haired white woman that was supposed to be the “head of diversity”. That was never going to be a good fit.
White is diverse from black, diverse from asian, diverse from hispanic, etc. Diversity includes “white,” “blonde,” “woman,” etc.
It is racist, by definition, to use skin color as a criterion for hiring a person.
The white guy dictates what is and isn’t racist…….interesting. Yeah we’re doomed
First off, you don’t know what “color” I am. And I’m not telling you, because it doesn’t matter (except to people like you, of course).
Secondly, the DICTIONARY dictates “what is and isn’t racist” since words have meanings:
racism
NOUN
Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.
The belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities, or qualities, especially so as to distinguish them as inferior or superior to one another.
It is racist, by definition, to use skin color as a criterion for hiring a person.
You know how they redefine and eliminate words. Racism, as some screaming daft white woman explained to me is POWER+PREJUDICE or POWER+BIGOTRY, therefore if I say I consider white people to be an inferior race, I cannot be called a racist because presumably only white people have power.
Where’s TX? I want him to get on his knees and apologize for his racism.
He’ll be here. He loves the off-topic quibbles…only to say at the appropriate time, “could you please stay on topic?”
I don’t pretend to be nonracist, but I do try to identify my unconscious prejudices rather than trumpeting white pride slogans. The alternative to consciously supporting inclusion and diversity is to covertly support
…covertly support the Department Of Hiring Less Qualified Applicants Because They Are White Males or the Department of Marketing Only To Anglo-Americans Because the Rest Of The World Does Not Matter.
When the subject on an APPL site is the Apple Department of Inclusion and Diversity, posts opposing inclusion and diversity are not off-topic… merely wrong from a moral, political, and economic point of view.
Txuser. Are you an attorney?
Retired after six years in private practice and thirty as a Texas prosecutor.
Sadly, that explains a lot
What does it explain and why is that sad? There are a lot of posters here who support “law and order,” but not the laws (and legal system) that make order possible in a nonauthoritarian society. There can be no peace for any of us without justice for all of us.
“Black lives matter” isn’t just a slogan. It’s a pretty decent summary of the Fourteenth Amendment, which has been the supreme law of the land since 1868. The Congress has express constitutional authority to implement the Amendment by legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits companies like Apple from discriminating on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” The company’s Department of Diversity and Inclusion exists to make sure that Apple follows that federal requirement.
So yes, I was trained as a lawyer and I am damned proud of having helped the legal system provide order and defend justice against those who might prefer rule by a left-wing, right-wing, or simply criminal mob.
For some reason, white people don’t have the capacity to make a determination if something is racist, or not? Now, that’s irrational, Mr FLUD.
It’s also the cultural mind-set of the day, where we’re living as if all white people are actively living racist-ly. First, I’ll say that’s nothing but prejudiced thinking. Secondly, if implemented, it’s just retribution for the sins of the past. One could also call it a form of reparation.
If we are going to proceed with retribution, or reparations in thought, or action, shouldn’t it be confirmed that’s the plan and make clear terms for what’s due? I don’t condone this idea at all, but moving ahead with senseless terms isn’t positive for anyone. It’s never-ending racial ambiguity and angst.
Because they are sick of talking about it too
By necessity, such a position requires a specific and intentional consideration of skin color. MLK said something about racial progress that requires we NOT focus on this human element.
Also, what typically results from such a position is thinking that becomes dogmatic about race (and other human characteristics). If you’ve hired the appointed number of a certain race (how humane does that sound?), the company can lift it’s head proudly. This company can also be a vanguard in the diversity pursuit and divi out shame and guilt to those slow to achieve the “correct“ numbers.
We need change…can we change internally, without the shame-prompting of ID politics?
Those “diversity people” are all the same.
Cue the racist and homophobic comments in 3…2…1… Oh yeah, it’s MDN and the merry band of trolls that frequent this site, the racist and homophobic comments were already here!
Cue cues the generic, but loaded, culture accusations that sound “sophisticated” but there’s nothing offered to advance, or challenge the discussion.
What’s that called? Trolling. I think you errantly used the word, so I’m showing it’s meaning in action.
It’s ok, I’ve accepted the job – I’m very diverse and I’m inclusively all-in on being cynical about Apple, so they saw me as the perfect candidate. $1.5m a year plus options and I can tell you it definitely pays to be cynical. Sorry suckers, I cynically love apple now, my loyalty has always been to the Benjamin.