Silicon Valley wants to be a meritocracy. Here’s why it’s not. | Margret O'Mara

Give yourself the gift of knowledge — subscribe to Big Think Edge: http://bit.ly/bigthinkedge If you're a great engineer, you can get ahead in Silicon Valley — to a certain extent. - Silicon Valley prides itself on rewarding good engineers, regardless of gender or race. But that may not actually reflect reality. - The Valley started out as a Mad Men-esque place, where women in particular were excluded. That culture still persists in the form of venture capitalists funding many of today's startups. - Furthermore, many in Silicon Valley fail to acknowledge how becoming a startup founder is often restricted to certain groups of people and how more diversity can ultimately result in a better product or service. Margaret O’Mara is the author of "The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America." (https://amzn.to/2m26zH7) She is a professor of history at the University of Washington, where she writes and teaches about the history of U.S. politics, the growth of the high-tech economy, and the connections between the two. If you're interested in licensing this or any other Big Think clip for commercial or private use, contact our licensing partner Executive Interviews: https://ift.tt/2IQF1gR Read more at BigThink.com: https://ift.tt/32ujdyl Follow Big Think here: YouTube: http://goo.gl/CPTsV5 Facebook: https://ift.tt/1qJMX5g Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigthink