Uber is the lastest company publicly pledging to increase Black representation within its ranks amid Black Lives Matter protests.
The ride-hailing company acknowledged in a blog post on Friday that “more work needs to be done” to address discrimination on its platform and diversity in its workplace.
“That is why we are introducing a set of new, long term commitments to drive this important work forward, both inside and outside our company,” Uber said in a statement.
It has plans to double black representation in leadership over the next five years and “continue to ensure that there is a zero difference in pay between all racial and gender demographics,” Uber said. The platform also said it will educate users on best practices to combat racism.
The declaration follows similar moves by big companies to diversify leadership as increased attention is paid to racial inequality in America in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
In June, Microsoft said it will work to double the number of Black employees in senior and leadership roles at the company by 2025. The software company Salesforce said it will do the same thing but by the end of 2023. The entertainment firm LiveNation announced similar plans. Facebook, Apple and Google also recently vowed to bolster diversity.
Even after years of annual diversity reports and calls to end systemic racism in America, the U.S. tech industry is still predominantly white and male. There has been some improvements though in recent years, but Black workers remain mostly absent from management and technical roles, according to a recent Bloomberg report.
