Web 2.0’s Lack of Diversity
I’ve been a follower of all things Web 2.0 for a while now. I am far from a valley insider, nor do I live there or know anyone personally who works in the area. I don’t claim to be an expert about the “new” buzz with tech startups; however, I have noticed a trend among nearly all of the high-profile startups: a lack of diversity. It is the one common theme that I see when it comes to the faces of these startups. Web 2.0 seems to be a white male-oriented field. Let’s take a look at some of the more well known startups like Odeo, Twitter, Digg, MySpace, Facebook, and Reddit. All of these startups were either started and/or led by white males. Where are the minorities?
Now, don’t get your hackles raised and think this is a post about discrimination. I’m just raising a question that has been asked before, and the statistics when it comes to Web 2.0 or even Web 1.0, for that matter, don’t lie. I’m excited about what’s going on with the Web now, but I do wonder why there is a lack of diversity when it comes to the faces of tech startups. I do not see women and African-American, Indian, Latin, Asian, etc. entrepreneurs that are involved, on a high level, with Web 2.0. There are women/non-white entrepreneurs and geeks, but you could not tell that was so with the faces associated with tech startups. Yes, I know there’s Mena Trott, Anil Dash, and Premal Shah; however, they are the very few names and faces I see and know in a world dominated by white males. Obviously, I’m not the only one who sees this.