A multinational technology consulting firm has apologized and blamed miscommunication after putting up a job listing seeking a “non Asian” for a Menlo Park data analyst position.
The job ad from Aptude appeared last weekend on LinkedIn, specifying that certain coding skills were required and that in addition to being non-Asian, candidates should have “no visa issue.”
The ad appeared online as racism against Asians has risen dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic, fueled by news that the virus originated in China. Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition of Asian American advocacy groups, issued a report in August saying it had received more than 2,500 reports of hate and discrimination across the country amid the outbreak, with 46% of the incidents in California.
In the Bay Area in recent weeks, police have increased patrols in Chinatowns after two unprovoked attacks on older Asian people — one of which killed 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee in San Francisco — were caught on video. In the past two weeks, authorities recorded 18 crimes against Asian Americans around Oakland’s Chinatown, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said this week.
Aptude, with offices in Chicago, Atlanta, Mexico, India and Malaysia, said in an emailed statement Saturday that it became aware of the problematic posting Tuesday, and set out immediately to remove it and find out how it had occurred.
“Our investigation revealed that misunderstood communication was posted by an individual with no conceivable discriminatory intent,” the company said, adding that it’s taken steps to prevent any such ads from appearing in the future.
“As a company with diverse leadership, we are especially sensitive to, and aggressively oppose, discrimination in any form. We deeply regret this occurrence, and we are especially saddened by the pain it caused and by the resulting misperception of our values.”
LinkedIn did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ABC TV, which first reported on the ad, said LinkedIn had posted a message to address the issue, saying, “We don’t tolerate racism or hate of any kind. Our members expect and deserve a safe and trusted community where they can express themselves professionally.”
