As reported by motherboard (opens in new tab), Girls Who Code, a non-profit organization that helps women pursue careers in tech, including the gaming industry, is participating in a new student mentoring initiative with Raytheon Technologies. Raytheon is an arms manufacturer that sold weapons to Saudi Arabia. used to kill civilians (opens in new tab) Spent $15,390,000 lobbying the US government in 2021 for its invasion of Yemen. public secret (opens in new tab).
according to Raytheon press release (opens in new tab)The joint effort is a “four-month pilot program” for STEM students nearing graduation. Started on August 30th. Her CEO of Girls Who Code, Tarika Barett, said: to make a difference. Students participating in the program connect with a Raytheon mentor and participate in networking her events, interview preparation, and community service projects.
As GamesIndustry.biz (opens in new tab) Girls Who Code has accepted donations from Raytheon and companies with dubious ethical underpinnings in the past. hopes to maintain a higher standard. pro publica (opens in new tab).
Girls Who Code has a worthwhile mission to help underserved and underrepresented individuals pursue profitable and socially impactful careers. But partnering with corporations that profit from war and death taints that mission. One way is to accept donations from Raytheon. Making a positive choice to work with an arms dealer to guide students is a step ahead for me.
Nonprofits seem to realize how bad this is. I couldn’t find anything related to the initiative on its social media, only a press release from Raytheon’s side. Girls Who Code did not return requests for comment from GamesIndustry.biz or Motherboard. I also sent a request for comments. I will update if I get a reply.
The ethics of the hi-tech industry’s relationship with the military-industrial complex come to the fore again and again.unity (opens in new tab) and Microsoft (opens in new tab) Both received backlash from their employees over the companies’ lucrative contracts to develop technology for the U.S. military. Such US defense spending is rooted in its Silicon Valley origins. It was integral to California’s early investments in the technology sector, and the Internet as we know it evolved out of the Department of Defense’s ARPANET.
Girls Who Code ended its partnership with Activision Blizzard last year. (opens in new tab) Over workplace harassment and discrimination in response to multiple lawsuits against it. You might politely decline an offer to polish the image of a company that exports death abroad. Albert Einstein once said lame and nerdy things about World War III weapons, but there was no way he could have predicted they would be manufactured. girl power.