On Tuesday, Pinterest announced its strategic investment in Black tech talent through a multiyear, multimillion-dollar partnership with /dev/color – a global career accelerator for Black software engineers, technologists, and executives.
According to a company news release, the image sharing and social media service is building a workforce “representative of the world we live in and where everyone feels a sense of belonging.”
Joining forces with partners like /dev/color aligns with Pinterest’s values to advance inclusivity and diversity.“Pinterest is proud to partner with /dev/color to advance our common goal of ensuring that the future of technology is representative of Black talent and the Black community as a whole,” said Nichole Barnes Marshall, global head of Inclusion & Diversity at Pinterest.
“Through this strategic partnership,
we will continue to invest in programs that will develop, empower, and accelerate Black tech talent within and beyond Pinterest. We look forward to the future with our friends and partners at /dev/color.”Building relationships with HBCUs is one of the major components of the partnership. From partnerships and sponsorship opportunities, both companies are committing to recruiting Black technologists at all levels and specialties with a discipline in machine learning. They will also champion Black engineers and technology leaders at Pinterest.
“We’re thrilled to take our work with Pinterest to the next level to support Black technologists and leaders throughout the industry. Together, we will invest in Black software engineers, executives, and founders in ways that are real and sustained,” said Rhonda Allen, CEO of /dev/color.
Pinterest has been a two-time sponsor of /dev/color’s annual conference for Black software engineers and industry leaders. This July, the social media giant hosted a panel of Pinterest engineers that shared the process of designing a workplace environment people enjoy. They also set up a booth for attendees to learn more about Pinterest and what a future career would look like at the company.