Meta faces lawsuit alleging racial bias

In a recent legal proceeding, Meta has been sued by a tech professional from Singapore. The 36-year-old, Vaishnavi Jayakumar, has accused the company of racial discrimination against Asians and has filed a complaint with California’s civil rights department. 

Coming from big companies such as Disney, Google, and Twitter, Jayakumar joined Meta in January 2020 and took on the position of head of safety and well-being for Instagram. During her tenure at Meta, she was focused on protecting children and teenagers from different types of abuse, such as bullying and harassment. As a member of the youth policy team, she aimed to establish a safe and secure online space for young users. 

However, she alleges that the racial bias she experienced at Meta prevented her from receiving promotions and impeded her professional advancement. Sharing her experience with USA daily, she explained her alleged mistreatment at the company. According to Jayakumar, her supervisor at Meta consistently neglected to offer her suitable opportunities and projects aligned with her role. 

Moreover, she always got the feedback that she lacks the experience and ability to work effectively in a team, which hindered her chances of being promoted to higher roles in the company. She also observed a sudden increase in her workload and more decline in her performance ratings.

Lastly, Jayakumar has presented suggestions aimed at tackling and minimising racial bias within the company. She  suggests companies monitor the rates of promotions that would help in ensuring equal opportunities to all employees, especially Asian Americans. Furthermore, she proposes the implementation of training initiatives aimed at enhancing managers’ understanding of stereotypes and preferences that may influence their decision-making processes.