Despite data that shows diverse leadership teams make companies 36% more likely to outperform competitors, according to McKinsey, many have continued to ignore DEI in the wake of sweeping rollbacks in 2025. Amazon and Google, for instance, scaled back, or shuttered altogether, programs during the Trump administration’s first two weeks in office, dismantling a raft of policies and agencies, including DEI programs from government and federal jobs, as well as removing data and reports on DEI topics from government websites. Meta, most notably, cut its entire DEI team, abruptly ended all equity and inclusion programs and representation goals, and moved to cease diversifying its talent pipeline.
Tech organizations alienating everyone who falls under the umbrella of DEI are further shrinking their talent pools, which, rather unflatteringly, was a large part of why the industry had to commit to embracing DEI years ago in the first place. Exceptions aside, this is a major setback, but it’s not the only challenge Black IT professionals, in particular, are up against when building a career in tech.
Here are five statistics about what Black IT pros face that prove DEI is critical to fostering a stronger tech industry, and why it’s vital to build the future of tech.
Black tech workers are the most likely to leave
Black professionals account for 12% of the US workforce, but only 8% of the tech industry. And when you look further up the ladder, only 3% of C-suite executives are Black, according to data from McKinsey. Additionally, while tech jobs are anticipated to grow 14% by 2032 across every industry, Black tech talent is only projected to grow an estimated 8% during the same time frame.
In The Defensive Job Market Tech Sentiment in 2026, Dice reports that Black tech professionals are the most likely to leave, followed by Gen X and mid-career workers. Black tech professionals are also more likely to report feelings of burnout, concerns about being laid off, and overall, they report less confidence in their job stability.
Turnover not only costs companies billions in profits, it also negatively impacts leadership diversity, a crucial factor in creating a more dynamic and welcoming working environment since it’s difficult for employees to imagine career growth at a company if they don’t see anyone that resembles them at the top.
Both Black and non-Black professionals agree in the McKinsey data that their leaders regularly exhibit inclusive leadership behaviors in some way, but only 25% of both groups say their leaders always lead with fairness, objectivity, and transparency. Companies shouldn’t take that information lightly: if employees in your organization don’t feel supported by leadership, they’ll leave. Organizations need to take honest stock of the state of DEI in the organization, and create goals to change any inequities or implicit biases baked into the culture.
It’s also important that everyone is represented at the top so when decisions are being made, everyone’s voice needs to be heard. Diversifying leadership isn’t just about hitting DEI goals, but also about creating an environment that takes everyone into consideration equally when developing organizational goals. Leadership needs to be honest about representation in the organization, transparent about the company’s failings, and clear about setting targets to improve and to hold leadership accountable to DEI goals.
Impacts of gen AI on Black tech workers
Gen AI is expected to impact Black workers overrepresented in roles that will be most likely taken over by automation, like office and customer support, production work, food services, coding, programming, QA support, and mechanical installation and repair, according further research by McKinsey.
Gen AI has the potential to disrupt pathways from low-wage to higher-paying roles, furthering the opportunity and wealth gap that already exists between Black and White Americans across every industry, especially tech and IT. Despite the fact that 74% of Black workers don’t have a college degree, one in eight black workers have moved to a gateway or target job in the past five years. McKinsey describes gateway or target jobs as those based on experience and offer more than $42,000 per year, and ones that are the next level up for people without degrees, respectively.
This upward mobility is supported by avenues such as coding bootcamps and training programs that help underrepresented populations prepare for and find opportunities in the tech industry. With gen AI rapidly taking over responsibilities, it disrupts many of the current pathways for skilled professionals from underrepresented groups to move into the tech industry without an expensive and often unnecessary degree.
McKinsey reports that between 2030 and 2060, gen AI may be able to perform about half of the gateway or target jobs that many workers without degrees have pursued — closing a pathway to upward mobility that many Black workers rely on.
Data also shows that around 24% of Black workers are in a role that has a 75% chance to be taken over by automation, compared to only 20% of White workers. For companies committed to DEI, there’s an opportunity for reskilling and upskilling these workers, especially as Black Americans face nearly twice the unemployment rate of White workers.
Higher standards, lower ceilings
Once Black tech professionals hit mid-career, they’re more likely to express dissatisfaction with the performance evaluation process. Only 29% with 10 to 20 years of experience are satisfied with the equality of their level of recognition and pay, whereas 47% of non-Black professionals said the same, according to the McKinsey findings. This group of mid-career professionals report being promoted nearly half as often as their non-Black counterparts, even with the same amount of experience. Black tech professionals with up to 20 years of experience report three promotions on average for their careers, while their non-Black coworkers report having received five or more promotions on average.
A report from Russell Reynolds Associates found that 63% of C-suite leaders agree that they show favoritism for employees who are like themselves, especially when it comes to promotions, and 62% agree it’s easier for individuals of certain ethnicities or backgrounds to get promoted than others, regardless of their capability and performance. And this is exacerbated when companies focus too heavily on hiring for a culture fit, especially if the culture is one that’s not inclusive to all its workers.
So leaders need to take a hard look at their hiring and promotion practices, and address processes that allow for bias and discrimination to play a part in who gets to advance in the company.
Outdated mindsets, moving goalposts
Senior Black tech talent and executives with 21 or more years of experience say the bar moves subjectively, no matter what, according to the Russell Reynolds report. Regardless of what they accomplish or contribute, this cohort of Black IT pros explains they’re often eliminated or overlooked for opportunities based on what they haven’t accomplished, an outdated and problematic mindset about who’s qualified to lead. For many Black tech leaders, they believe that no matter how much they achieve, it’ll never be enough, and only 29% say they’re satisfied with the career opportunities they’ve had to date, compared to 52% of non-Black tech professionals with the same level of experience.
Many Black executives and senior Black tech professionals say one of the biggest roadblocks they’ve encountered has been a lack of access to critical development experiences, compared to non-Black counterparts. Nearly 90% of non-Black tech pros with decades of experience have led major company initiatives, whereas only 61% of Blacks with equivalent experience can say the same. And nearly 25% don’t feel they’ll have the chance to lead a major company initiative, whereas only 7% of their non-Black counterparts said the same.
Investing in leadership development is crucial, and it’s equally important to ensure your Black tech staff receives equal development opportunities as their non-Black peers. Ensure your leadership is trained on DEI and inclusive leadership skills. Try interviewing leaders to get a sense of how they’d handle different scenarios related to diversity, and recognize implicit and internal bias. You can’t change inequities in your company culture overnight, but you can make concerted efforts to weed out homogeneity to build a more diverse and equitable industry.
The mentorship gap
Mentorship is vital to growing a career, especially on the leadership path. Mentors help you navigate the company, identify opportunities for growth, and advocate for you when it comes time for promotion. However, mentorship programs often fail due to poor pairing, lack of consistency, or simply not having strong processes in place around mentorship.
Further from McKinsey, many companies have implemented mentorship programs to improve retention of Black tech professionals. But the data shows only 20% of Black entry-level employees and 14% of Black management-level employees feel that mentors are effective at creating opportunities for them.
And while mentorship is a strong asset for any organization, when it comes to improving DEI in tech, the real key is sponsorship. Organizations should ensure that Black tech employees have mentors and guidance to navigate their careers, but it’s even more important that those employees are also being championed behind closed doors. Senior leaders need to be tasked with creating networking opportunities, and advocating for Black colleagues when it comes time for promotions and raises.
This article was originally published February 18, 2022, and has been updated to reflect new reporting and research.