Meta’s tech advisory group criticised for lack of diversity

Meta’s Advisory Group that is made up of external advisors who are experts in tech, payments, and product delivery, was criticised for its absence of diverse candidates

Meta’s own web page noted that the Meta Advisory Group is composed of outside advisors [File] | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Meta has been criticised over the seeming lack of diversity in its new advisory board that consists of external experts who will consult with the social media giant on tech and product topics.

The members of the advisory group are Stripe co-founder and chief executive officer Patrick Collison, former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, Shopify founder and chief executive officer Tobi Lütke, and Microsoft’s former general manager of global corporate strategy Charlie Songhurst.

‘Meta’s new AI council is composed entirely of white men,’ noted TechCrunch, while others called out the absence of women and people of colour in the group.

Meta’s own web page noted that the “Meta Advisory Group is composed of outside advisors that Meta’s management team will periodically consult with on strategic opportunities related to our technology and product roadmap,” though media outlets noted that the council was for AI.

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During Meta’s first quarter earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg hailed the company’s AI releases and launches but said that it could take years for the expected profits to emerge.

“I think it’s worth calling out that we’ve historically seen a lot of volatility in our stock during this phase of our product playbook ‐‐ where we’re investing in scaling a new product but aren’t yet monetizing it. We saw this with Reels, Stories, as News Feed transitioned to mobile and more. And I also expect to see a multi‐year investment cycle before we’ve fully scaled Meta AI, business AIs, and more into the profitable services I expect as well,” said Zuckerberg during the call.