Who we are, and who we have always been

Hello and welcome to Inside Inclusion! This newsletter is a space to share perspectives and explore the human side of business, technology, and employee experience in deeper, more meaningful ways. In this inaugural edition, we’ll kick off the conversation with a look at where we are at Microsoft, and where we are going, by giving you a glimpse into our 2024 Global Diversity & Inclusion Report released today—and spotlight some of the people and programs behind the data.

Our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more reflects Microsoft’s innovation and evolution from software, to the cloud, into the age of AI. As a company we realized early on that to reach everyone, we need everyone. That’s why inclusion is more than an ideal for Microsoft. It is threaded into the fabric of our business and built in the core of our culture.

What would Microsoft look like today if we had not founded our first international office in Japan in 1978? What if we had not supported anti-discrimination for sexual orientation in 1989, or extended benefits to LGBTQIA+ families in 1993, or introduced the core concept of allyship to our workforce in 2018?

Today, we are a company of more than 220,000 people working across 190 countries. And we know that our success and technological innovation could have been very different without the longstanding clarity that having many perspectives, skill sets, and experiences matters.

As our company enters our 50th year, our focus on inclusion is built on a foundation that is half a century strong. We are at the edge of a new era where inclusion can further propel us to solve fundamental human, business, and technological challenges. With AI, the connection between inclusion and innovation is clearer than ever. To build a culturally competent and transformative AI, the ability to gain perspectives and insights across disciplines and cultures is critical. The only way forward is to invite everyone to participate, remove barriers to entry, and help people build new skills.

This newsletter is a forum to discuss the fascinating stories of how we are getting there—to highlight the thought leaders doing the work, explore the sometimes challenging but necessary conversations we must have to get where we aim to go, spotlight how data informs our journey, and hopefully inform and inspire others as they invest in the people and communities that will drive innovation, inclusively.

I welcome your thoughts, comments, and ideas—it’s never been more important to discuss and learn together.

When I joined Microsoft over six years ago, I was especially excited to reimagine how we share our workforce demographic data and to build a team to usher the Diversity & Inclusion Report into the next generation. Each year we transparently share our data, which informs our actions and investments to develop, grow, and retain a workforce that thrives. We also dive beyond the numbers to show the impact of Microsoft’s D&I strategy and actions on our global stakeholders, including employees, customers, partners, and investors.

We have always been clear about the business case for diversity: Companies committed to diversity are more innovative, with a 39% greater likelihood of outperforming competitors. And companies that create new entry points to hire a range of talent that brings many perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences are more likely to stay ahead in a hyper-competitive labor market: 63% of global workers say they would choose a company that prioritizes diversity and inclusion over one that does not.

So although one important function of the report is to continue to be transparent and accountable by sharing both our progress and the areas where we have gaps that must be closed, it’s more than that. It’s a snapshot of where and how we invest in people, and it helps quantify how D&I can deliver as a core business principle.

This year, we publish our most global and transparent report yet, which explores how we are working to increase representation; nurturing inclusion; engaging with employee communities, and driving progress across our ecosystem through efforts such as supplier programs; widening pathways into technology; and developing talent once employees are here. We hope you’ll explore the report.

Being intentional in how we create pathways can help more people chart a course into rewarding careers that they may not have considered—especially those traditionally lacking an on-ramp into the tech industry. One program I’ve found especially impactful is Microsoft Leap. Leap’s mission is to find and develop talent that represents the communities and cultures of the global ecosystem, and to help close the skills gap through an immersive experience that blends classroom instruction with project work to give Leapers an opportunity to break into tech.

Jenny Ferries participated in Leap in 2016 as part of one of the first cohorts in software engineering. A former middle school robotics teacher, Jenny found herself inspired by the problem-solving opportunities in software development and is now a principal software engineering manager at Microsoft—a role that allows her to blend her dual passions for education and software while continuing to inspire others along the way.

Building a diverse supplier network helps introduce new opportunities in communities across the globe. When these companies succeed, there is a multiplier effect as they invest in their communities to help people develop new skills and perhaps even start their own businesses. Last fiscal year Microsoft logged the highest annual investment in the 20-year history of our Supplier Diversity Program—more than $18 billion allocated to more than 700 diverse businesses around the world.

Partners we’re highlighting this year include companies like Hanson Consulting, an innovative woman-owned company that has established a scholarship fund for first-generation college students and those from low-income backgrounds. Native-American and minority-owned Oxygen is another crucial supplier for Microsoft that offers comprehensive sales enablement training.

Microsoft employees around the globe have shared their stories through our Inclusion Is Innovation campaign. In our 2024 Global Diversity & Inclusion Report, we highlight some of these powerful experiences, including that of senior technical specialist Brent Nix, who felt unsafe navigating the workplace until a pivotal incident gave him the courage to uncover and ultimately find a voice at Microsoft; and Elva Fernandez Sanchez, whose work with Microsoft Copilot is pushing her to learn new skills and understand the diverse needs of customers.

As we recognize Hispanic Heritage Month and Indigenous Heritage Month this fall, I want to thank Microsoft’s Employee Resource Groups and employee communities for the support and leadership they provide globally, and individual employees for sharing their stories and helping us all build our understanding and awareness of one another’s lived experiences.

Recently, I spoke with the BBC to discuss the connection between AI research and development and strong inclusive practices. Training a language model to understand, explain, and explore all topics uniquely with every person, in their language, in the context of their personal situation, requires an extraordinary degree of cultural fluency alongside technical skill.

That means we need a vast array of experiences and perspectives to build and evolve the best AI. As we develop AI solutions, we work with experts, including anthropologists, linguists, and social scientists—all of whom bring valuable perspectives. We also ensure the leaders making decisions about the teams who build and design AI products have the tools to understand issues of privilege, power, and bias, so that they can create inclusive teams to drive the most groundbreaking and culturally competent innovation.

We need all employees on board for the AI journey, so we offer a range of formal and self-directed skilling options to help them continue to build their acumen and deepen expertise. I will continue to explore and share notable updates and insights on the intersection between Microsoft AI and inclusion, and the fascinating people and perspectives shaping and delivering our vision for AI.

Ultimately, I want this newsletter to be a space for discussion at this exciting and busy inflection point where technology, business, culture, and inclusion come together to support the goals and dreams of people around the world. We welcome your comments and ideas, and I hope you’ll subscribe for more updates.