Partnerships are a big part of what drives the Twitter community, and Madati has been successfully wooing a variety of partners to the platform since he joined the company in 2017. Among recent high notes are partnerships with Live Nation and MTV, which debuted a Twitter-exclusive live stream at the VMAs. Madati says Twitter continues to evolve its diversity and inclusion efforts. “We began sharing updates about our inclusion and diversity efforts quarterly because we believe this will spark conversations and actions needed for change—at Twitter and beyond,” he says.
What does your company/organization do to ensure all employees feel included?
We want our company to reflect our service, and we’re continuing our journey to bring inclusion and diversity to how we work and who we are. We are making steady progress while we learn the right approach for Twitter.
We have six key areas of focus: data, accountability, hiring, training, product and partnerships, and people. Our goal is to do our work at Twitter out in the open.
We began sharing updates about our inclusion and diversity efforts quarterly because we believe this will spark conversations and actions needed for change – at Twitter and beyond. Through increased openness, we believe we can learn together, discuss together, and make greater strides together.
How can diversity be better incorporated into the recruiting process?
At Twitter, we set two-year diversity targets in 2018 for Women, Black, and Latinx total representation to face this challenge. But increasing workforce representation is only part of the story. In order to move the needle on diversity, we need to measure and understand our workforce holistically including hiring, attrition and retention. Each member of our leadership team has A.I.R. (attract, retain, include) plans tailored to their orgs against the targets we set. We’re also expanding the amount of data we share, especially with our teams internally. We believe transparency and openness are key, and we should be held accountable for how we do.
Which current television show/s best embrace diversity?
I think ever since FX introduced “Atlanta” it set a new bar on how to tell compelling narratives around the notions of race and class in society. I think it’s ironic and clever how a show like Showtime’s “Billions,” a look at Wall Street hedge fund magnates, has delivered Asia Kate Dillon in a groundbreaking role that showcases gender identity and non-binary identities in an authentic and honest ways. I think Netflix’s “Master of None” takes a funny take on immigrant parents/families that is both representative and insightful. “Power” airing on Starz, has one of the most diverse casts on TV, lending real credibility to this New York city crime drama. And lastly I’d be remiss not to mention the live show that Will Packer did with us at Twitter, “Power Star Live,” which was of the culture, about the culture, and ultimately put the culture front and center.