Why tech companies support affirmative action

Tech giants IBM and Intel, as well as chemical maker DuPont, say that colleges and universities should be allowed to consider race when admitting students as a way to increase diversity. Why do they care? Because they, too, are struggling with diversity and believe that affirmative action policy is one part of the solution.

Affirmative action in admissions is an "essential step in any serious effort to address minority underrepresentation in the [Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math] STEM fields," states a friend-of-the-court brief filed in November by IBM, Intel, DuPont, and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. Unlike other industries, a majority of STEM jobs require a specific college degree, the companies said.