13480: Dropbox Drops Diversity.

PRWeek reported Dropbox dropped the ball by unintentionally promoting diverted diversity via a tweet that featured a predominately White group of executives. The tweet included a link to details displaying the Dropbox dedication to diversity. The company appears to be more interested in boosting White women than minorities, as the female charts precede and supersede the minority figures. Responding to online outrage and insults, Dropbox declared, “We’re committed to building an inclusive workplace at Dropbox, and we know we still have a lot to do. Today we issued our annual diversity report that included a photo of our founders with some of our senior female executives. This photo was meant to highlight the increase of women in senior leadership roles. We realize it doesn’t fully represent the diverse workforce we strive for at Dropbox. Improving our diversity continues to be one of our top priorities in 2017 and beyond.” Until the improvement of their diversity actually happens, expect Dropbox to continue checking off the inclusion box by hiring White women.

Dropbox makes big mistake with diversity tweet

The file hosting service tweeted a picture that largely featured white people as part of a diversity message.

By Diana Bradley

Dropbox just posted a picture on Twitter to showcase its diversity. Only problem: Critics said the image only features light-skinned staffers.

The image, posted alongside the text, “Diversity at Dropbox,” has Twitter users scratching their heads.

Included in the Dropbox tweet is a link to a blog post that does actually illustrate the company’s diversity efforts—in great detail.

The blog explains that, this year, the file-hosting service has continued to invest in programs that help attract and retain diverse candidates. Out of the new hires this year, 35% are women—up from 28% last year; and 45% are from minority groups—up from 41% in 2015. Dropbox also lists key programs it has created to foster a diverse workforce.

These figures and programs, however, took a backseat to the photo Dropbox included in the tweet, which was posted around 1pm ET on Wednesday. Outrage ensued.

“We’re committed to building an inclusive workplace at Dropbox, and we know we still have a lot to do. Today we issued our annual diversity report that included a photo of our founders with some of our senior female executives,” the company said in a statement late Wednesday. “This photo was meant to highlight the increase of women in senior leadership roles. We realize it doesn’t fully represent the diverse workforce we strive for at Dropbox. Improving our diversity continues to be one of our top priorities in 2017 and beyond.”

However, comment after comment on the tweet questions the company’s decision to use that particular photo. Most Twitter users are making fun, but some are calling for Dropbox to fire its marketing team. Others are deleting their Dropbox app in response.

Dropbox’s gaffe echoes Starbucks’ Race Together controversy last year. As part of that campaign, which invited customers to talk about race, the coffee chain used only white hands in related photos. This is yet another reminder that images matter—especially when communicating about a topic such as diversity.

[See some reactions here.]