Veni Kunche I Founder of Diversify Tech
@venikunche
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Founder. Maker. Software Engineer. I run @DiversifyTechCo. 💌 Join 20k newsletter readers! https://t.co/4gxgMC7aeV
DMV
Joined May 2011
Hey new followers! 👋🏾 . I'm Veni. After working as a Software Engineer for over 15 years, I'm now a full-time founder!. I connect underrepresented folks in tech to jobs, events, and speaking opportunities as well as help companies hire us at
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Maybe the secret is that he doesn't take care of his 11 kids 🤷🏾♀️.
This is Elon Musk. He runs 5 billion-dollar companies, has 11 kids, and still has time to sh*tpost on Twitter. I had to know how he manages his time. Here’s what I found:
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Had to read it twice. "Over half of the state's short-term rentals are owned by people out-of-state".
Hawaii is on the verge of banning Airbnbs. Hawaii is facing one of the worst housing crises in the U.S. and over half of the state's short-term rentals are owned by people out-of-state. Two bills to let local governments enact bans just need final votes.
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Y'all, please don't become the gatekeepers after you get through the gate. If anything, open it up for more people. 🧡.
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I have a CS degree!.But do you have experience?. I have experience!.But do you have a degree?. I have both!.But can you write an algorithm on a whiteboard while I stare at you judgingly?. I practiced. I can also code on a whiteboard!!.hmm are you a culture fit though?. 🤦🏾♀️.
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Since I have the time today, it's time for a story. I've never worked for Google. Yet, I have a story to share. 🤦🏾♀️ . A thread 🧵.
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I saw someone on LinkedIn who has been unemployed for over a year and just lost her house. She was affected by a layoff and had years of experience. People are going through really rough times. Please let's stop being judgy and help each other 💜.
I really hate the “open to work” and “hiring” badge on LinkedIn. They seem so….desperate for all the wrong reasons. Tell me I’m wrong?.
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What’s something that FEELS like diversity and inclusion in tech but isn’t?.
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For a long time, I felt like I wasted my time getting a CS degree. My colleagues were doing the same work w/o one. Then I realized that the world works differently for me. You can learn the skills on your own but it is harder to get a job without a degree when you look like me.
Degrees are not useful. Skills are.
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I feel like career advice from white folks should start with "As a white person, this is what worked for me. ". BIPOC folks follow the usual advice. It doesn't always work for us. We end up thinking that we are doing something wrong and not because companies treat us differently.
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People are forgetting that Covid is still around when talking about return-to-office mandates. Making employees come to the office when they can do their job from home puts them at risk of getting covid . This could cause long-lasting health problems and disabilities.
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I wonder why 50% of young women who go into tech jobs leave by age 35 🙃.
why would you post this while listing your employer on your blind account lmao
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If you say a role is open to entry-level folks, please don't reject candidates due to lack of experience 🙏🏾.
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If you are about to say copying is a form of flattery, please stop. I'll take flattery in the form of credit and compensation.
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Companies telling us a few years ago that there won't be enough tech workers for all the jobs. Students choosing CS as a major in droves or going to a bootcamp. Then companies doing massive layoffs and barely hiring any entry-level folks.
What’s the biggest scam in tech that has become widely accepted?.
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Companies don't want to hire juniors. They don't want to promote people internally. But only want to hire seniors. How is this supposed to work exactly?.
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If you say ridiculous shit like "women aren't interested in tech", I won't argue with you. I will look up where you work, add it my list of companies that I won't with. And tell other women in tech to avoid your company.
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To be clear, the problem is tech bros being sexist and misogynistic. Not the women calling them out. 💜.
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This is why a lot of DEI orgs like Girls In Tech and Women Who Code have been shutting down. Companies are not investing in these initiatives anymore. They don't want to be held accountable for their promises.
Microsoft is reportedly shuttering a major diversity, equity, and inclusion team, according to an email sent by the team’s leader to a number of staff last week in which they state that companies no longer see DEI programs as "business critical."
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I've been in tech since 1999. Worked as a Software Engineer for quite a few years. I have a B.S and a M.S in Computer Science. I would really like you all to not assume that I am new to tech! 🙄.
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Not every problem needs to be solved with tech 🙂.
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Crossed six figures this year! 🥳. For the first time in my career in tech!. Through my own business!!.
what’s one of y’all biggest flexes from this year? please i am begging you to brag on yourself.
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As a startup founder who looked up to basecamp and their founders, this was pretty disappointing to read 😔.
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I love to build and code. I don't like .- arguing over the tech I use.- working unreasonable hours.- fighting for equal pay and not get it.- not having access to roles because of the way I look. I made my own path to stay in tech but I shouldn't have had to.
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If you don’t want to mentor new coworkers, a senior role might not be for you. Being helpful to your team shouldn’t have to be in the job description. It’s just part of the role.
Extremely hot (maybe bad) take. I really just don’t like working with inexperienced people. If mentoring new coworkers is part of the role - it should be stated in the job requirements.
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Some weekend coding with my little coworker
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I'm sending an email to about 200 employers on how interviewing is broken in tech and how to fix it. Underrepresented folks in tech - What advice do you want to give these employers on how to fix their interview process?. I'll share your answers in the email. Thank you all! 🙏🏾.
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I declined to work with a company because of some of their glassdoor reviews. I always doubt myself when I do this because I think maybe I am overreacting. Well, the way their Head of People just responded to me, I think I made the right decision 😐.
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Turning the big 40 today!. When I turned 35, I was unhappy. I thought I hadn't done enough in my life. Then a LOT of stuff happened (good and bad) in the past five years. I'll never think that again 😅. We all have our own unique path to follow in life. Happy to be still here! 😊.
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My husband just asked his manager if he can go permanently remote and she said yes! 🎉. We can live wherever! I love that we have more options. My husband and I don't agree on where though so it's going to take a while 😂.
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All the startup dudes that were being apolitical but all of a sudden celebrating with us. I see you 👀😞.
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Inviting people of color to speak only during certain months like Native American heritage month or Black History month.
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Looks like our munchkin was just as impatient as me 😂. She arrived over the weekend. Appreciate everyone's best wishes. We both are doing well 💜
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$50 per week for an "internship". Just heard that a startup offered this to a bootcamp grad. She is expected to work 20 hours per week. They are in the mental health for people of color space. I repeat. If you can't afford to hire and mentor folks, don't hire!.
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My usual reminder to you all to hire entry-level folks. By that I mean people with no work experience. Please and thank you! 🙏🏾.
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Some personal news. We are expecting our second child in September! ☺️. My pregnancies are never without complexity. We are thankful and happy to have made it this far. I'll be on bed rest till she arrives. We hope she takes her time and we can't wait to meet her
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I was told that I wasn't good enough for a Software Engineer position after I finished my M.S. in Computer Science. At that point, I already had a B.S. in CS & 3 years of work experience. Gatekeepers will always always keep moving the goal posts. Do what work works for you! 💜.
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My dad's not on Twitter but he just got promoted to IT Director I at the Office of Data Management & Analytics Services at UW-Madison! 🎉🎉. He has been in tech forever and hit the glass ceiling many many times. It's nice to finally see him get the recognition he deserves.
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Well, this has been weighing me down for 4 years. I am glad to finally get this off my chest. Thank you to all of the women founders who knew about this and supported me. 💜.
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I am too embarrassed to share my salary. Let's just say underfunded government agencies don't pay much. And don't take Midwest pay while living on the east coast. 🤦🏾♀️. Also, I wish someone told me this when I started working. Always negotiate. Never reveal your previous salary.
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I've been seeing some folks say that the opinions on Twitter don't represent the real world where as the ones on Hacker News do with regards to basecamp. You know what the difference is? Many of us who are underepresented in tech, do not use that toxic site.
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I was telling my family that I was craving ramen last night. My 4 yo: What is craving?.Me: When you really really want something.My 4 yo: I was craving you. 🥺🥰.
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Please fix your internal issues before hiring more folks. 💜. Ask your past employees why they left. Ask your current employees what needs to change. Listen, make the necessary changes and then bring in more people.
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It says a lot about our society that there is such a big market for "AI girlfriends". Note how people aren't predicting a big market for "AI boyfriends".
Tech exec predicts ‘AI girlfriends’ will create $1B business: ‘Comfort at the end of the day’
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Samsung workers have unwittingly leaked top secret data whilst using ChatGPT to help them with tasks. We've been telling you all. Don't input everything into chatgpt!.
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This is why I have a major mistrust of DEI communities run by white women. It's like they forget what the main goal of DEI is. It is to creating an inclusive and equitable place for EVERY one including women of color like me.
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Let's make a hire me thread!. If you are underrepresented + looking for a new role in tech, share your details below! 👇🏾. Include the role you are looking for, LinkedIn/Portfolio site and where people can reach you. I'll RT through out the week.
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They did not hire me, nor give me credit…just launched their own version. I did not see that coming. I thought we were collaborating not competing. I truly did not expect that from an organization with the purpose of supporting women in tech.
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Have you been paid to speak at a conference? Please share the type of talk (keynote, workshop, talk), the name of the conference and how much you got paid. Thank you! 🙏🏽. There isn't a lot of transparency around this. I want folks from marginalized communities to be informed.
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My heart is full this morning. I asked my 3 yo what she was thinking as we were driving to daycare. She goes, "I'm thinking about you because I love you. I love you so much" 🥺🥺😭.
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Just read a tweet from a software engineer that he's happy about Roe v. Wade getting overturned. They may not be saying it out loud but I suspect this is a common view of men in tech 😔.
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Underrepresented folks in tech - I am saying this with love. Don't take on unpaid DEI work at your company out of obligation. 💜. Don't bear this burden on top of work and your own struggles. Point them to folks who are experts in DEI instead.
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We'd like to invite underrepresented people in tech to apply to our apprenticeship. btw it's unpaid.
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white women != diversity. Having just white women does not make your team or your event diverse.
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Yet another white women in tech takes one of my ideas & runs with it. Last time it happened, I scrapped my own project because every time I looked at it, it reminded me of the betrayal. Not this time. Just going to keep going! 💪🏾. (nope, not going to name & shame. Not my style).
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cw: miscarriage, death. When I shared the news to some friends that we lost one our twins, their response was that raising one kid is hard, two would be harder. Not everything needs to be turned into a positive. Sometimes things just suck. You can say "I am sorry" or nothing.
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#DiversifyTech is live on @ProductHunt today! 🚀👩🏾💻. I built it for people like me who are underrepresented in tech to discover opportunities in tech. It is also for all of us in the tech industry who want to make it a welcoming and inclusive place. 💙❤️💛.
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👋 Hey underrepresented folks in tech! Do you have a blog, podcast, course or website that folks in tech should know about? Please share it. I'll re-tweet it. I'm always looking for content to share in my @codewithveni newsletter. Thank you!.
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I feel uncomfortable talking about money but happy to share that @DiversifyTechCo crossed 10K in monthly revenue. 🎉. It happened in June. I told myself that it is probably just a fluke. But it has been happening consistently since then so I guess I should believe it 😄. 1/.
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An example of what not to do when posting a job on a diversity focused job board:. 1. Post a Sr. Software Engineer role w/ a $40,000-$60,000 salary for US candidates. 2. Then bully and threaten me into posting it when I tell you that the salary is too low. A no is a no. 🙅🏾♀️.
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Things I want tech to do.- laundry.- cooking.- cleaning. Things I don't want:.
movies are going to become video games and video games are going to become something unimaginably better.
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It upset me quite a bit. I felt betrayed. A white women in the guise of collaborating just used my idea without giving me any credit. I felt disheartened. I thought of giving up on working on Diversify Tech. In the end, I decided to scrap that specific part and built it anyway.
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Let's make a hire me thread!. If you are underrepresented + looking for a new role in tech, share your details below! 👇🏾. Include the role you are looking for, LinkedIn/Portfolio site and where people can reach you. I'll RT through Friday, November 5th.
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I've received 2 or 3 emails from folks from Google to partner with Diversify Tech since it started gaining moment this year. I was filled with too much rage to even respond. In case it's not clear, I will never work with Google.
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Giving scholarships to minoritised folks to attend a conference but no speakers from those groups.
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In 2018, after I gave birth to my little one & things settled down, I started working on the 1st version of @diversifytechco. Right around that time, I found out that Google’s Women Techmakers replicated my resource. The left is what I built and the right side is what they made.
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Hey all! Applications are open for the @Outreachy internship in open source for those underrepresented in tech. 💵 $7,000 stipend.🌍 Remote work.🕰 3-month duration (Dec-Mar). Apply by Aug 21st! 👇🏾.
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entry-level = someone with no on the job experience but ready to learn and adapt. Now, who is hiring for entry-level folks in tech?. where people w/ no work experience will be given a fair chance. I'll include it on the @DiversifyTechCo website.
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Who is hiring for entry-level roles in tech?. where people with no work experience will be given a fair chance. I'll include it in our @DiversifyTechCo newsletter that goes out to 6500 folks. Please share!.
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“We’re actually highly sympathetic to diversity but we just don’t want that to override merit". 🗣️ Underrepresented people in tech are not underqualified!!! We are underestimated. We are overlooked.
Diversity shouldn't "override" merit in hiring decisions, says Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman. And he tells @emilychangtv other CEOs agree with this privately, despite what they may say publicly
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Calling yourself ally without actually doing any work.
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Today, my daughter ran into her bedroom and slammed the door when I asked her to do something she didn't like. Later, she told me that she is an adult. She is only 3. What is happening!? 😂😭.
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Apparently I'm creating a barrier for underrepresented people in tech because I charge for our job board 🤦🏾♀️. Our talent directory is free. I charge companies $99-$199 for a job posting which is on par or less than what regular job boards charge.
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If you are volunteering for Women Techmakers, know that it is part of Google. You are doing free diversity branding work for them. Do with that what you will.
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Please stop doing this. Stop wasting people's time.
8 hour intense interview with no breaks just to be still told I’m not technical enough. I need a break from the interview process for the near future.
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My baby girl said "algo ithm"! 😆. I was reading her the Baby Loves Coding book before bed and she repeated it today.
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All the "code for passion" people should work for free and see if they still feel passionate about it.
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I appreciate the support, everyone! Thank you.💜. My kiddo is about to come home so going to switch into mom mode and will be offline.
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Allies - If your company is asking you to write positive reviews on Glassdoor or other places to push the negative reviews down especially the ones around DEI, please don't.
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I'm getting tired of sending this email. You cannot be about diversity and inclusion and also support an organization that violates human rights 💔😔. #NoTechForICE
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Let's all collectively agree to decline interviews that are conducted by AI please! 🙏🏾
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To all the folks who are encouraging people from marginalized communities to get into tech - I'd like you to put the same energy into getting your company to hire entry-level folks. Mentoring and encouraging is not enough.
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I understand people need jobs but I really need you all to refuse to work on projects like this that uses tech to cause harm.
BREAKING: The Pentagon is moving toward letting AI weapons autonomously decide to kill humans, per BI.
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Could use some positive vibes 🙂. Going to be life altering whichever way today goes and I'm nervous.
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I didn't have the courage to share this 2 years ago. I was a new mom. I was going through other struggles that took priority. The project was also lead by a Black woman who I admire. She didn't know anything about the history and I didn't want to bring her into it.
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Well, this has been a pretty depressing week. I want to think of something else. If you're a woman in tech, reply with some links to your work. I'll retweet it to my 15.9k followers. #womenintech #100DaysofCode #wocintech #WomeninTechChat. Thank you @sehurlburt for the idea!.
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My mom pre-revenue: Why don't you go back to work? Why are you wasting your time away?. After revenue: Why don't you buy a bigger house? Give your cousin a gift? You are so cheap. What are you going to do with all that money?. Can never win 🤦🏾♀️. Also, why I never take her advice.
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I guess this needs to be said out loud. If you are inviting folks from underrepresented groups to come speak at your company event, you have to pay. You are asking them to take time out to prepare a talk and to come educate you. If you don't have a budget, don't invite us.
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I didn't have a passion for tech when I choose CS as my major. I didn't develop a passion for it as I went through classes. I felt passionate when I worked on solving real-world problems. I even lost that passion when work became toxic. "passion" doesn't motivate me.
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White men in tech - What finally made you understand what "privilege" means? . I'm looking for resources to share in my Business and Ally newsletter. Thanks!.
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My advice to CS students that I wish was talked about more:. 1. Don't take just CS classes. Tech is used to serve people. It is important to understand people so that you can build products that benefit them.
What are some things you recommend computer science freshmen begin their tech journey?.
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"don't hire anyone over the age of 30". I know a lot of founders think this way even if they don't say it out loud. Just FYI that this is age discrimination and it is illegal.
some of my notes from the Art of Hiring event earlier today: . @rabois .- don't hire anyone over the age of 30 .- recruiters are probably ineffective but still important b/c they drive hiring momentum.- it takes 3-30 mins to evaluate someone (probably 3 though).- undiscovered
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I just started writing python in a React app. Context switching is hard 😅.
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Most of the women in tech organizations not saying anything feels like they don't think of themselves as spaces for Black women.
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If you don't want your company to look like this, please include underrepresented folks in tech. 👉🏾
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The timing is just too funny 😅 . I opened my inbox and this is the first email I see
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