Pinterest's CEO reframes the DEI debate by stating it is not in conflict with meritocracy, but a requirement for it. A system that isn't inclusive inherently limits its talent pool, making it less meritorious. By focusing on inclusion, Pinterest gained an "unfair share of great talent" and outperformed competitors.
Related Insights
The company's head of marketing convinced the CEO to hire young marketers with unconventional resumes that didn't fit the typical 'perfect GPA' mold. This talent created the brand's wildly successful, 'unhinged' TikTok account, which became a major user acquisition channel, proving the value of diverse hiring perspectives.
Across three billion years and four stages of mind (molecule, neuron, network, community), intelligence has consistently advanced by diversifying its thinking elements. The most powerful minds at each stage are those with the greatest variety of components. This frames diversity as a fundamental, time-tested strategy for improving competence in any system, including organizations.
At Crisp.ai, the core value is that the best argument always wins, regardless of who it comes from—a new junior employee or the company founder. This approach flattens hierarchy and ensures that the best ideas, which often originate from those closest to the product and customers (engineers, PMs), are prioritized.
In niche sectors like aerospace engineering, the pool of senior, diverse talent is limited. A pragmatic strategy is to hire the best available senior specialists while intensely focusing diversity efforts on junior roles and internships. This builds a more diverse next generation of leaders from the ground up.
The common practice of hiring for "culture fit" creates homogenous teams that stifle creativity and produce the same results. To innovate, actively recruit people who challenge the status quo and think differently. A "culture mismatch" introduces the friction necessary for breakthrough ideas.
Most elite universities measure quality by their low acceptance rates. ASU's President Michael Crow flipped this model, defining success by the number of students they include and support, arguing that exclusivity is an outdated, elitist metric that ill-serves a democracy.
A company’s true values aren't in its mission statement, but in its operational systems. Good intentions are meaningless without supporting structures. What an organization truly values is revealed by its compensation systems, promotion decisions, and which behaviors are publicly celebrated and honored.
To encourage participation from everyone, leaders should focus on the 'why' behind an idea (intention) and ask curious questions rather than judging the final output. This levels the playing field by rewarding effort and thoughtfulness over innate talent, making it safe for people to share imperfect ideas.
A holistic talent strategy requires a dual focus. An 'External Talent Cloud' provides on-demand access to specialized global skills, while an 'Internal Talent Marketplace' unlocks hidden skills within the current workforce. Operating both creates ultimate flexibility, allowing talent to flow seamlessly into and within the organization.
By adding resilience as a core hiring criterion, Pinterest naturally attracts diverse candidates from non-traditional backgrounds who have overcome adversity. This focus shifts hiring away from traditional signals of success, increasing diversity and bringing in employees who are better equipped for business challenges.