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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Microsoft expert encourages firms to hire women execs, engineers



Blaise Aguera y Arcas, a fellow at Microsoft Research, strongly believes that women will dominate the tech market in the future, and so tech firms should get as much women as possible on board in order to tap this potential market.

Speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, Aguera y Arcas disclosed that based on his research, women’s incomes will most likely surpass those of men’s in the future as more women graduate from college than men. These findings debunk a current popular notion that students can stay out of college and still become successful, owing to the fact that several tech founders, including Bill Gates himself, never finished college.

"I've heard some nonsense that college isn't worth anything and it’s better to just found a startup. That's rubbish as far as I can see. All the data shows college earns you way more money over your career," he said.

By 2020, these women would have bigger incomes and more money to spend. The challenge for tech companies, then, is to lure these women into buying their products by designing mobile apps and gadgets that cater to women’s needs and preferences. Hence, companies should get more women on board in engineering, conceptualizing and even reviewing apps, gadgets and other tech products.

"If you can, hire women engineers and CEOs," he said.

Microsoft is one of the leading companies that promote workplace diversity and inclusion. Aside from valuing women as an integral part of the company’s success, Microsoft also promotes cultural diversity in its workforce.

To find out more about what Microsoft is doing to boost diversity, visit diversityworking.com.

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