Diversity Annual Report - Google Diversity Equity & Inclusion (2024)

A lot of the time people feel they’re lumped into racial categories, but there’s all this heterogeneity ... We need to fine-tune the way we measure things, so people feel represented.

— Dr. Ellis Monk, Associate Prof. of Sociology, Harvard University

In partnership with Harvard professor and sociologist Dr. Ellis Monk, we released a new skin tone scale that has improved skin tone representation across Google.

Digital image technologies have historically overlooked and misrepresented the true tonalities of people of color. Furthering the image equity work we pioneered in 2021 with Real Tone for Pixel, we released the Monk Skin Tone (MST) Scale. The scale, with 10 shades, aims to represent the range of skin tones we see in society, and helps Google evaluate whether a product or feature will work well for more users.

We’ve already incorporated the MST Scale into our products. In Search, we made it possible for people to use the scale to refine image results by skin tone. In Google Photos, the scale helped us evaluate a new set of Real Tone Photos filters, ensuring they worked well across skin tones.

We openly released the scale so that other builders can use it in their product development. In turn, their experiences will help us learn how to improve the scale further.

$1.2B

Google’s latest commitment to Latin America’s digital future.

We believe technology can not only be a driver, but an accelerator of economic opportunity.

Following 17 years of investment in Latin America, we announced a five-year, $1.2 billion commitment to the region’s digital future. We’ll work with governments, entrepreneurs, businesses, and community organizations to focus on four key areas: digital infrastructure, digital skills, entrepreneurship, and inclusive, sustainable communities.

We’re investing in projects like the Firmina subsea cable to improve connectivity, and partnering with change-driving nonprofits like Brazil’s Instituto Rede Mulher Empreendedora, which has trained over 200,000 Black Brazilian women in digital skills and entrepreneurship. And we’re ensuring entrepreneurs across the region have access to our tools, from Google Cloud Regions to Google Ads, to help them succeed in the digital economy.

30%

In 2022, Google met its Racial Equity Commitment of increasing leadership representation of Black+, Latinx+, and Native American+ Googlers by 30%.

Our work to increase representation at all levels of Google – particularly among Black, Latinx, and Indigenous talent, and women in Tech at leadership levels – continued in 2022 through ongoing expansion of talent programs across the company.

We grew our Pathways to Sponsorship programs, a global initiative designed to foster relationships that accelerate the careers of high-potential talent from underrepresented groups. More than 95% of participants find Pathways programs valuable, and a majority of mentees have reported career growth – from new opportunities and expanded networks, to enhanced roles and promotions. When we provide employees with meaningful opportunities, both the individual and the organization benefit.

Core to building products that work for everyone is ensuring our products make people feel safe and empowered. In 2022, we partnered with underrepresented communities to make our products safer, and YouTube was a key area of focus.

Across social platforms, underrepresented creators – especially women, non-binary, LGBTQ+, Indigenous, and Black people – disproportionately report experiencing unwanted behavior. In 2022, YouTube launched the Creator Safety Center to help creators, particularly those from underrepresented groups, make a plan to stay safe online. It brings together tips and advice from security experts, nonprofit organizations, and of course, creators themselves. And it connects users to support both within and outside of YouTube, including local mental health services. In 2023, we will expand this Center internationally.

While DigiPivot allowed me to make huge leaps in digital marketing, it also gave me an understanding of the soft skills that differentiate successful business leaders from others.

— Ritu Jain, DigiPivot participant, cohort 3

Through both new and existing programs and partnerships, we’re working toward gender parity at all levels – both at Google and across the tech industry.

In India, we continued our efforts to scale an existing initiative: DigiPivot, a training program that aims to upskill women in digital marketing to close the field’s gender gap. The year 2022 marked the completion of our three-year pilot, with our 2022 cohort tripling the size of the previous year’s. We enjoyed equal representation from working women at the early and mid-stages of their careers, as well as those on a career break, across 17 industries. Participants in the latest cohort reported the highest satisfaction score and confidence uplift to date, as well the highest rate of pivots to digital marketing careers. Encouraged by these results, we’re continuing to scale DigiPivot’s reach across India, and exploring markets in the Asia Pacific region.

The introduction of these three key elements of managing crystalized for me what it takes to be a responsible manager at this moment at Google.

— Je A’nna McCardie, Director, Hiring Equity Strategy and Programs

Managers make a tremendous difference in a Googler’s experience. Last year, data showed that managers could do more to support underrepresented talent – especially when it came to areas such as role alignment or career trajectories. So we took steps in 2022 to better educate our managers on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and hold them accountable.

A central part of that work was revising our fundamental manager responsibilities of Deliver Results, Develop People, and Build Community. Today, equity is core to each responsibility, rather than being isolated to Build Community, with the aim of including equity considerations in all aspects of management. We’ve clearly outlined what is expected of managers to be equitable and inclusive role models for their teams, and we’re working to support them in living up to these elevated expectations. Managers have access to a robust collection of resources, including one-on-one coaching and Inclusion Roundtables specifically for Vice Presidents. Because good management is equitable management.