August 31, 2022 • 3 mins
Everett Harper is the CEO and Co-Founder of Truss, a human-centered software development company.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I would consider you. I'm you are a d e
expert and if you would call yourself that, but you're
somebody who speaks on d e I and you know
are paid to speak on d e I. Uh. What
is interesting about the current conversation about d e I
that we're having, particularly at the corporate level. Let's start there.
Like some companies believe if they put some money into
(00:21):
some inner city, you know, youth programs, then they're being
diverse and you know they're they're doing their job. Other
other companies believe if they hired black d e I officer,
they're doing their job. Um, what is interesting about this
conversation to you? And how do we know if we're
doing right as corporate executives? Yeah, I would say spicily. Um,
(00:45):
most of the the conversation interests may be because it's a
lot of window addressing. UM. Which is not to say
that investing in a playground in um community is not
a great thing, that's fantastic for the community. That is
not a sufficient d e I response for any corporation
of any significant size. It's the initial drop in the bucket.
(01:08):
For example. The reason I say that is the question
I always ask people. And this is particularly after George
Floyd and everybody's getting involved with you know, d I
trying to figure out racial injustice and and and what supremacy, etcetera.
The question I would ask what people would come to
me and say, hey, what do I love your help?
I said, well, what are you trying to do it for?
(01:30):
How does this connect with your business model? This is
a question you started with and then there's like often
a silence. I said, yeah, you need to figure out
whether how it's connected to your business model. So that's
the first thing is is it connecting your business model?
And many people don't have that. Those that do start
to start to make progress in ways that others do not. Um.
(01:53):
I think the other thing that's interesting me about the
conversation at the moment is the impact of remote work
and how the market changes if you are now not
just located in particular place, but actually can remote and
expansively across the country. We've been promote since first since
(02:14):
two thousand twelve. We wanted to have a diverse company.
We're like, well, there isn't a full diversity here in
the Bay Area, and those who are here are going
to be heavily competed with um for talent and we
have oh, by the way, we have Google and Facebook
who can PLoP a bonus um larger than someone's annual
(02:36):
sale at our company. So we went to rest of
the country and we have people in three states, and
we have black folks all over, and Hispanic or Latina,
Latino x Um and Mina and and and but the
located where they and so that gets much more sustainable
from Mark perspective. Now we have to go to the
(02:56):
next level because other people have discovered it as well,
so we have to figure out the next thing. But
we developed this networks of community. I think they're going
to be sustainable in the long run. It's black tech,
green money. Share this podcast with the people you're closest to.
I would consider you. I'm you are a d e
expert and if you would call yourself that, but you're
somebody who speaks on d e I and you know
are paid to speak on d e I. Uh. What
is interesting about the current conversation about d e I
that we're having, particularly at the corporate level. Let's start there.
Like some companies believe if they put some money into
(00:21):
some inner city, you know, youth programs, then they're being
diverse and you know they're they're doing their job. Other
other companies believe if they hired black d e I officer,
they're doing their job. Um, what is interesting about this
conversation to you? And how do we know if we're
doing right as corporate executives? Yeah, I would say spicily. Um,
(00:45):
most of the the conversation interests may be because it's a
lot of window addressing. UM. Which is not to say
that investing in a playground in um community is not
a great thing, that's fantastic for the community. That is
not a sufficient d e I response for any corporation
of any significant size. It's the initial drop in the bucket.
(01:08):
For example. The reason I say that is the question
I always ask people. And this is particularly after George
Floyd and everybody's getting involved with you know, d I
trying to figure out racial injustice and and and what supremacy, etcetera.
The question I would ask what people would come to
me and say, hey, what do I love your help?
I said, well, what are you trying to do it for?
(01:30):
How does this connect with your business model? This is
a question you started with and then there's like often
a silence. I said, yeah, you need to figure out
whether how it's connected to your business model. So that's
the first thing is is it connecting your business model?
And many people don't have that. Those that do start
to start to make progress in ways that others do not. Um.
(01:53):
I think the other thing that's interesting me about the
conversation at the moment is the impact of remote work
and how the market changes if you are now not
just located in particular place, but actually can remote and
expansively across the country. We've been promote since first since
(02:14):
two thousand twelve. We wanted to have a diverse company.
We're like, well, there isn't a full diversity here in
the Bay Area, and those who are here are going
to be heavily competed with um for talent and we
have oh, by the way, we have Google and Facebook
who can PLoP a bonus um larger than someone's annual
(02:36):
sale at our company. So we went to rest of
the country and we have people in three states, and
we have black folks all over, and Hispanic or Latina,
Latino x Um and Mina and and and but the
located where they and so that gets much more sustainable
from Mark perspective. Now we have to go to the
(02:56):
next level because other people have discovered it as well,
so we have to figure out the next thing. But
we developed this networks of community. I think they're going
to be sustainable in the long run. It's black tech,
green money. Share this podcast with the people you're closest to.
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