Apple head apologizes for racially insensitive comment

Apple's head of diversity has apologized after a comment she made about how '12 white, blue-eyed, blonde men in a room' could be considered diverse.

In an email to her staff, obtained by TechCrunch, Denise Young Smith said she 'regretted' her 'choice of words'.

The comments were made when the executive was attending the One Young World Summit in Bogota, Colombia.

'There can be 12 white, blue-eyed, blonde men in a room and they're going to be diverse too because they're going to bring a different life experience and life perspective to the conversation,' she said at the time, according to Quartz.

Young Smith has worked at Apple since 1997 where, up until recently, she was leading the company's worldwide talent and human resources division.

Earlier this year, she took on the newly-created role of vice president of inclusion and diversity.

At the conference, she said she thought diversity could also mean diversity of thought.

While the comments drew applause, they also drew criticism, especially from those who note the lack of diversity that seems to permeate the various strata of Silicon Valley tech companies.

Like a majority of those companies, Apple is mostly made up of white male staff. Last year, 77 percent of the company's engineers were male, and 55 percent were white, according to its annual inclusion and diversity report.

Women make up 23 percent of Apple's engineering staff. Just 28 percent of the company's managers are female, seven percent of its managers are Hispanic and three percent of its managers are black.

Young Smith assured staff in her email that the Steve Jobs-founded company's commitment to diversity has not wavered.

'Understanding that diversity includes women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and all underrepresented minorities is at the heart of our work to create an environment that is inclusive of everyone,' she said, adding, 'there is much work to be done.'

YOUNG SMITH'S APOLOGY EMAIL TO HER COLLEAGUES 

Colleagues,

I have always been proud to work for Apple in large part because of our steadfast commitment to creating an inclusive culture. We are also committed to having the most diverse workforce and our work in this area has never been more important. In fact, I have dedicated my twenty years at Apple to fostering and promoting opportunity and access for women, people of color and the underserved and unheard.

Last week, while attending a summit in Bogota, I made some comments as part of a conversation on the many factors that contribute to diversity and inclusion.

I regret the choice of words I used to make this point. I understand why some people took offense. My comments were not representative of how I think about diversity or how Apple sees it. For that, I'm sorry.

More importantly, I want to assure you Apple's view and our dedication to diversity has not changed.

Understanding that diversity includes women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and all underrepresented minorities is at the heart of our work to create an environment that is inclusive of everyone.

Our commitment at Apple to increasing racial and gender diversity is as strong as it's ever been. I'm proud of the progress we've made, but there is much work to be done. I'm continually reminded of the importance of talking about these issues and learning from each other.

Best,

Denise