Williams Kastner Contacts Former And Current Staff To Investigate Sexism And Racism Allegations At Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP)

Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP) ordered an inquiry into the sexism and racism allegations raised by its employees. It relates to an article published in Mashable on June 9, 2020, in which the former employees shared their experiences at Snap between 2015 and 2018. Williams Kastner, an independent company, based in Seattle, contacted the former and current Snap employees as part of the ongoing investigation.

Employees experience a racist culture

According to stories shared with Mashable from multiple sources, they are subjected to racism during their tenure at Snap. The leadership at Snap does not give due importance to the black communities. According to one employee, the management asked them to change the image of blacks, who are better performing, with the friendlier face. The same manager also informed another employee that the story is too black-oriented and instructed to replace some black people snaps with images of other races. One employee reported this issue in the HR review but not received any reply. According to an interview with Mashable at that time, Snap said it is going through the complaint.

Never published a diversity report

One among the few Silicon Valley companies, Snap, never made a diversity report. Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snap, said the company will maintain all diversity numbers secret. He said the company is working on a method to reveal that information.

In a notification to the Verge, a spokesperson for Snap said the company is committed to releasing the diversity numbers to the public and chalking out plans to change its practices at the workplace.

Snap is also at fault for releasing the Juneteenth filter. It seems to be a Pan African Flag approximation and drawn flak from several users. The President (diversity and inclusion) of Snap apologized for that incident through a companywide email. He said filter is the result of collaborative action between white and black employees. Snap also faced trouble in 2016 for releasing a Bob Marley Filter.

Posts a growth of 17% YoY

Snap posted an increase of 17% YoY in revenues in Q2 2020 to $454 million. The company also improved its operating cash flow by 17% YoY to $67 million.