Facebook responds to report that Black applicants weren't hired due to 'culture fit'

By Alyssa Wilson Published: April 7, 2021

Facebook responds to report that Black applicants weren’t hired due to ‘culture fit’

FILE - In this April 30, 2019, file photo, Facebook stickers are laid out on a table at F8, Facebook's developer conference in San Jose, Calif. Ever since Russian agents and other opportunists abused its platform in an attempt to manipulate the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Facebook has insisted, repeatedly, that it’s learned its lesson and is no longer a conduit for misinformation, voter suppression and election disruption. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

By: Alyssa Wilson

Facebook has responded to a report that the social media platform does not hire Black applicants because they do not fit the culture.

The report, published in The Intercept, told the story of a Black woman who said she was passed over for a job with the platform.

She and three other Black individuals complained to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) about the anti-Black racism that happens at Facebook.

Facebook’s recent diversity report revealed that only 3.9% of all employees are Black, up slightly from 2% in 2014.

In comparison, 41% of the workforce is white and 44.4% is Asian.

The woman, who has not been named, alleges she was subjected to a pattern of discrimination during her interviews for a managerial position.

She also noted that the only Black person she saw throughout the entire hiring process was a receptionist.

The three other complaints to the EEOC were filed by employee Oscar Veneszee Jr. and two other applicants who were turned down.

They also alleged Facebook used “culture fit” and evaluations by employees who were White and Asian.

Veneszee told The Washington Post that the “culture fit” was not applicable to Black people.

“When I was interviewing at Facebook, the thing I was told constantly was that I needed to be a culture fit, and when I tried to recruit people, I knew I needed [to] find people who were a culture fit,” he said. “But unfortunately not many people I knew could pass that challenge because the culture here does not reflect the culture of Black people.”

BNC reached out to Facebook for comment and the organization provided a statement saying they are committed to advancing racial justice.

“We’re focused on diversity and inclusivity as well as advancing racial justice, both in our own workplace as well as in how we recruit candidates to work here. We’ve added diversity and inclusion goals to senior leaders’ performance reviews. We take seriously allegations of discrimination and have robust policies and processes in place for employees to report concerns, including concerns about micro aggressions and policy violations.”- Facebook Spokesperson