DIGGING IN

Snapchat Parent Company Opens Investigation Into Allegations of Racism, Sexism

Several former employees in June said that they faced a racist culture while working at Snapchat.

Snap is conducting an internal investigation into racism and sexism allegations within the company made by several former employees in June. A law firm hired by the Snapchat parent company is conducting interviews with current and former employees in connection with the “confidential investigation.” The lawyers have reportedly asked interviewees whether they had witnessed discrimination while employed at Snap and whether they had knowledge of the incidents described by the former employees who made the allegations. Several former employees who are people of color in June said they faced a racist culture at Snapchat while working there between 2015 and 2018.

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel reportedly said at a company meeting that the company would work to address the allegations of decreasing diversity, but defended the company’s practice of not releasing diversity data at a company meeting by stating that releasing the information would perpetuate the idea that minorities are underrepresented in the tech sector. The company will be releasing its diversity data in the near future, according to a Snap spokesperson.