Diversity can be a difficult issue to discuss, but the truth is the tech industry has a problem.

Even a brief look at the data collected by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reveals huge racial disparities in the tech workforce compared to the private sector overall.

Tech companies and investors should be concerned: Evidence strongly suggests that a racially diverse tech sector could translate into stronger financial performance. A McKinsey report on diversity showed a correlation between racial and ethnic diversity and a company’s financial performance. “For every 10 percent increase in racial and ethnic diversity on the senior-executive team,” the report stated, “gross earnings rose 0.8 percent.”

So why aren’t our workforces more diverse? Why is it so hard for companies like Apple and Microsoft to build a workforce that better represents the customers they’re selling to?

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