While stirring up a little controversy with his lukewarm take on the metaverse and VR, Apple CEO Tim Cook – who is currently on a tour of Europe, talking to tech channels and visiting Apple stores along the way – has voiced his thoughts on diversity and inclusion within tech. And it’s a stance we an all agree with.
Cook spoke with a group of female founders and app developers at the tech giant’s inaugural Foundations program in the UK where he addressed the need for women in technology.
“Great to meet with our class of all-female founders at our first Foundations program in the UK. These developers are on their way to making and achieving extraordinary things.” tweeted Cook.
The Apple CEO also spoke with the BBC at the event, stressing the importance of a diversified workforce.
“I think the essence of technology and its effect on humanity depends upon women being at the table,” Cook told the BBC in an interview.
“Technology’s a great thing that will accomplish many things, but unless you have diverse views at the table that are working on it, you don’t wind up with great solutions,” Cook added.
A More Diverse Workforce
Apple is attempting to create a more diverse workplace According to Apple’s 2021 diversity figures report, women make up roughly 35 percent of the company’s employees with five of its 22 executives being female. The lack of female workers in the tech sector is partly due to the fact that far fewer girls than boys choose to take STEM classes in school. However, according to Cook, there are “no good excuses” for the lack of women employees in tech fields.
“Businesses can’t cop out and say, ‘there’s not enough women taking computer science – therefore I can’t hire enough’. We have to fundamentally change the number of people that are taking computer science and programming,” says Cook.
The Apple CEO believes students should be required to take a coding course before graduating from high school. Such a requirement would mean all students would have a basic understanding of the process of coding and creating apps. Since the Foundations program, Cook has been traveling Europe speaking about AR, the metaverse and the future of Apple.
Jack Brassell is a freelance journalist and aspiring novelist. Jack is a self-proclaimed nerd with a lifelong passion for storytelling. As an author, Jack writes mostly horror and young adult fantasy. Also an avid gamer, she works as the lead news editor at Hardcore Droid. When she isn't writing or playing games, she can often be found binge-watching Parks & Rec or The Office, proudly considering herself to be a cross between Leslie Knope and Pam Beasley.
