You might not immediately notice the latest change to come to GitHub unless you’re standing in its San Francisco headquarters and looking down at the floor. GitHub has removed the centerpiece of its faux Oval Office waiting room, a circular mat emblazoned with the phrase, “United Meritocracy of GitHub.”
We thought ‘meritocracy’ was a neat way to think of open source
but now see the problems with it. Words matter. We’re getting a
new rug.
— Chris Wanstrath (@defunkt) January 22, 2014
GitHub CEO Chris Wanstrath, who just stepped into his new role a
few days ago, probably didn’t expect his first action to involve
furnishings. But while a simple change in office decor may not
seem like a big deal on the surface, the removal of the rug
signals a shift in GitHub’s public image.
GitHub's Julie Ann Horvath, a designer who also founded the
company's all-female lecture series Passion Projects, said the
rug first became a problem when photos of it made their way into
feminist discussions online.
In theory, a meritocracy should be a good thing. It basically
boils down to a society in which people reap the rewards of their
skill and effort. But as countless advocates for women and
minorities in the tech world have pointed out, meritocracies are
a lot messier in real life. The tech industry isn’t still
predominantly white and male because white men are better at
their jobs than everyone else, it’s because many white men have
had more opportunities to succeed than their minority and female
counterparts.
The false idea that the tech industry is a meritocracy hurts
everyone. It allows Paul Graham to continue thinking that the
founders who make it into Y Combinator are the best of the best,
not just the best people with the most privileges. It also
furthers a culture of entrepreneur worship.
Technology may be more meritocratic than many other industries,
but not to the extent that you can attribute anyone's success
solely to their own smarts and hard work. Opportunities,
connections and socioeconomic status still matter. So do race and
gender.
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