Pinterest had just issued its latest Inclusion and Diversity update-a set of outlines detailing how the company is working to maximize inclusion and improve its hiring and management processes to address equal representation in its business approach.

This has been an even greater priority for the platform in the last year, building off of the #BlackLivesMatter movement when some former employees at Pinterest shared their time working at the company, highlighting what they found to be a culture of racial and gender bias.

This led Pinterest to reevaluate and overhaul its diversity and inclusion efforts.

As explained by Pinterest :

This year saw the world deal with the effects of the global pandemic, which drastically changed how we work and how we live. Also, the resurgence of racial justice movements worldwide put pressure on us to converse about what was necessary and refreshed our commitment to being thoughtful in our culture. We listened to our employees, as they shared their experiences, and commit to doing better.". More to improve our culture, more to improve our product, and more to bring inspiration to people around the world.

That renewed approach does seem to be having an impact - at least from a staffing perspective, according to Pinterest's data, it is seeing improvement on several key fronts.
These are still only percentages of the company's total hires, but it is nice to see Pinterest taking a more targeted approach in trying to drive internal diversity, which should ideally help the company build a more inclusive workplace culture as an after-effect.

Pinterest further notes that it is abiding by three key principles in its updated hiring practices:

At least 80% of our open jobs in the US employ a diverse slates approach, meaning women and candidates from underrepresented races and ethnicities have been interviewed for open jobs
Expand apprenticeship program from Engineering to the Product team. Our apprenticeship increases chances of getting candidates from underrepresented races and ethnicities to enter tech.
We will focus on skills and capabilities on our interview process which will enable us to attract people from other industries outside of the tech world
​Pinterest also says that it has achieved pay equity across gender and race in the US. New, internal training programs have been developed to help foster inclusion in the workplace.

For example, Pinterest is also developing its external products and features with the same set of values, including enhanced machine learning algorithms which are now being specifically audited for bias and representation of creators within the app. "We work with retailers and creators from diverse backgrounds to make sure content on Pinterest represents the diversity of our global Pinner base.". We have set a year-end goal for at least half of our creators managed to be from underrepresented backgrounds. To date, we have achieved this goal and are amplifying these voices via feature and editorial coverage within the Today Tab, Shopping Spotlights within the Pinterest Shop, and financially via the Creator Fund. We celebrate important cultural moments, elevate organizations that operate in line with our values, and inform people on social issues. In 2021, we rolled out an 8-week editorial series with emotional experts, coined "Friday Feels" that focuses on emotional well-being, and have shared resources on our Today Tab to #StopAsianHate.

Given all the ingredients of division in modern society, these initiatives can play a key role in maximising inclusion-for, after all, it is on social platforms such as these that most people gain a view out onto the larger world. And if the view out the window is restricted, that ensures users are equally restricted in their outlook.

As such, these are critically important elements of focus for Pinterest and all social platforms, and it's good to see Pinterest making progress on several key fronts.

Of course, hiring rates and education programs are but one part. As noted, Pinterest has traditionally done well in meeting its hiring goals, but even so, problems still permeated within its internal culture.
These are not end results in themselves but hold promise, hopefully, for a more inclusive culture at the company, as Pinterest generally focuses on these and also starts some new initiatives.