"Exclusively for whites!" Tech business confronts shocking racist job posting - repercussions ensue

A software firm in the US inadvertently included bigoted specifications in a job ad, resulting in repercussions for the discriminatory practice. The act of racial discrimination occurs frequently during job searches.

, and Grigoriy Williams

2024 May 28 . 1:00 PM

2 min read

Der offene Rassismus der Anzeige hatte im Netz schnell für Empörung gesorgt (Symbolbild)

Arthur Grand is the individual in question. - "Exclusively for whites!" Tech business confronts shocking racist job posting - repercussions ensue

Last year, a controversial job posting made headlines. A software company announced in their job listing on Indeed, "Only US-born citizens (White)" they were seeking. This openly racist posting caused a furor in the country (read more about it here). The US Department of Justice has since taken action.

Arthur Grand Technologies is now facing consequences for their actions. They are reportedly required to pay a $7,500 fine and a total of $31,000 in compensation to 31 applicants who were part of a lawsuit against them. The department has declared the case closed after reaching an agreement with the company.

Department sees it differently

However, the department has strong words regarding the incident. "It's shameful that in the 21st century, employers still use phrases like 'only for whites' or 'born in the US' in job ads," said a lawyer at the Civil Rights Division of the Department in a statement. The company, on the other hand, has not admitted any wrongdoing. Instead, they maintain that they're not responsible.

The CEO of Arthur Grand Technologies, Sheik Rahmathullah, born in India, has denied any guilt or wrongdoing. He claims that a single employee was responsible for the ad, who didn't act on behalf of the company. Rahmathullah told NPR that he cannot be accused of being a white nationalist as he's an immigrant himself. He founded the company after moving to the US for his studies. Moreover, more than 80% of the company's employees are people of color, he remarked.

The company claims that a disgruntled employee in India wrote the ad without their approval - intent on harming the company.

Accidental Racism?

The job posting became infamous when it was uncovered on Indeed. It appeared that the racism was likely an accident, meant to be kept a secret. The requirement to hire only white US citizens also had a note hidden in brackets: "Do not share this information with the applicants." This raised the strong suspicion that internal discrimination had been accidentally made public.

The company took swift and determined action, according to CEO Rahmathullah. Not only was the ad removed, but their entire website and social media presence were temporarily suspended. They have since reinstated their online presence.

One possible explanation for the eagerness to reach an agreement with the Department of Justice could be that Arthur Grand Technologies is classified as a "disadvantaged small business" by the US authorities. To be a part of this program, companies must primarily be owned by socially disadvantaged people and not themselves practice discrimination.