Bridging the Digital Divide: A Two-Factor Mission to Empower Communities

In this episode, Markus Zirn, Michael Smith, and Earl Newsome discuss their collaborative work on the TechPACT, a collective initiative focused on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the tech industry. The TechPACT aims to bridge the digital divide and elevate underrepresented voices in technology. Michael and Earl share how the “plus one” mindset helps members take small, daily actions to promote inclusion, and they offer practical ways tech leaders can commit to equitable hiring and mentorship. They also address the rising backlash against DEI initiatives, offering strategies to navigate resistance while continuing to drive meaningful change. Lastly, they discuss responsible AI adoption, the power of allyship, and building a more inclusive future in tech.

Timestamps

00:00 Episode Start

04:50 Founding the TechPACT

08:20 The TechPACT's vision and mission

11:55 What levers are required for change

17:00 Importance of Inclusion

18:45 The TechPACT's impact

30:30 DEI in 2025: Addressing backlash and navigating forward

37:00 AI and its impact on diversity

46:00 Call to action for IT executives

Episode Key Takeaways

• Support the mission of TechPACT: Join the movement to close the digital divide by getting involved with TechPACT. Visit techpact.org, take the pledge, and share it with your network. You can also volunteer your time, skills, or resources to help drive representation and access in tech.
• Incorporate “Plus One” into your routine: Build inclusivity into your daily habits by adding one intentional action that broadens your perspective. That could mean reading a book from a different cultural lens, connecting with someone outside your usual circle, or expanding your candidate pool during hiring. Small, consistent steps can lead to lasting change.
• Standardize diverse hiring practices: Make it a norm to interview a diverse slate of candidates before making any hiring decisions. This not only supports equity and inclusion, it also helps you access a broader, stronger talent pool by widening the lens on what great looks like.
• Tackle AI bias and prepare for the future: Audit your AI tools for bias and make sure they’re built with fairness in mind. Invest in training your team for emerging roles like “AI artists” and “prompt engineers.” Encourage collaboration between humans and AI to spark exponential innovation, not just automation.

Top Quote

“ To really serve your consumers, you have to have a deep, deep level of empathy. And the great, especially the innovative companies, they anticipate needs sometimes before the consumer themselves anticipates those needs, and the way you do that is by bringing diverse perspectives to the table. And those diverse perspectives can come from all types of diversity, right? Sometimes it can be the things you see on the surface, like gender or race, but it can also be industry knowledge. But bringing those diverse perspectives to the table is where it starts.” - Michael Smith

“ Diversity is being invited to the dance, right? Inclusion is being asked to dance, right? Equity is having access to the dance floor. That's all equity is giving you access to get on the dance floor. There's a ramp there for you, if you need that. But belonging is wanting to dance if no one's looking at you. And so if we can really unlock the power of belonging in our organizations and we can then earn that discretionary effort of all our employees. If people feel as though they don't belong, and we've all had that feeling, we've been in places where we feel we don't belong. You're not gonna earn any extra effort from me. You're not gonna earn the power of my diverse background. But if I feel as though if I belong and I'm dancing as if no one's looking at me, then you're gonna earn my discretionary effort, which is gonna lead to amazing, extraordinary outcomes.” - Earl Newsome