Sequoia is a firm that a lot of people across tech and the Valley look to, and I think they're setting an important example in adding new diversity to their team.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
We've tried to build Sequoia Capital with an eye for the long term that we really look for in the companies we like to partner with.
As an immigrant, my wish is that we fix immigration. At Sequoia, we've backed a number of exceptional founders that were born abroad but started their careers in the Valley. They've created immense value, but more importantly, massive numbers of jobs locally, nationally and globally.
At Sequoia, upwards of a hundred entrepreneurs a week present, and if we're lucky, maybe a dozen of them are focusing on the enterprise.
There's a pure and simple business case for diversity: Companies that are more diverse are more successful.
Diversifying our tech talent pool is an imperative for the tech sector. More diverse engineers and entrepreneurs will bring about a new type of innovation that Silicon Valley has yet to see.
I think it's not up to Congress to dictate what the right amount of diversity is, but I think it's Congress' place to ask the question, to any industry, in talking about what's going on out there. Is there a lack of preparation of the community to be ready to be involved in that industry?
Silicon Valley isn't the only game in town. Tech is increasingly decentralized. Around the world, new tech centers with younger companies are able to embrace a different approach to talent: recruit locally, identify homegrown prospects and, in a phrase, bring them along for the ride.
The tech community is a closely knit group, which is why it's so powerful. All of these companies have an affinity for each other, even if they compete with each other.
As somebody who has been an executive producer on a television series, I can tell you that increasing director diversity is as simple as hiring more women and more people of color.
One of the great things about Silicon Valley is, irrespective of how competitive you might be with another company or how closely you might be working with that company, there's a great sort of give and take, and camaraderie from - between - some of the executives in the valley and some of the other investors in the valley.
No opposing quotes found.