#TheTechHustle Podcast 🎙

🔍 Backstage with BobbyD featuring Maisha Gray-Diggs

August 30, 2024 • BobbyD, D'Hustle and Raymond...don't call him RayRay

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What if courageous leadership could transform the tech industry? Join us on "Backstage with Bobby D" as we welcome the incredible Myesha (MGD), who takes us through her inspiring journey from engineering excellence to championing HR and DEI initiatives at major tech companies. From her academic roots in San Francisco to earning a PhD in polymer science, Myesha's story is one of perseverance and impact. She shares her significant achievements at Procter & Gamble and her transformative roles at Microsoft, Twitter, and Eventbrite, where she enhanced diversity and inclusivity within engineering teams. Learn about the crucial role of mentorship and the power of believing in one's potential, especially for underrepresented groups.

Ever wondered how the culture at tech giants differs? Myesha paints a vivid picture of her experiences at Microsoft and Twitter, revealing the contrasts between Microsoft's structured corporate environment and Twitter's vibrant, creative atmosphere. With anecdotes about DJ-led lunch sessions and innovative workspaces, Myesha highlights Twitter's dynamic culture, which became even more pivotal during the pandemic. Through her involvement with the Blackbirds ERG, she discusses how initiatives and dedicated communities can drive real change and foster a sense of belonging.

As we wrap up, Myesha shares insights on navigating tech careers and the collective effort required to create inclusive environments. Her personal and organizational mantras like "Stay Woke" and "You Belong in Tech" resonate deeply, offering valuable lessons for anyone entering the tech field. We also celebrate the achievements of Black engineering leaders who inspire future generations. Tune in for a heartfelt conversation that underscores the importance of adaptability, mentorship, and the powerful impact of genuine representation and connection in the tech industry.

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Speaker 1:

What was the thing that got you into tech or got you into engineering and eventually you know that type of contributions at that company?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I have phenomenal teachers that believed in me. Right, I graduated number one in my class here in San Francisco.

Speaker 1:

Listen up, stop playing around, man. Listen to this young lady over here.

Speaker 2:

So I had a lot of people that believed in me and planted the seeds, and I think that's important for young people, especially brown and black children. They need to know that they can do it.

Speaker 1:

Welcome welcome welcome to Backstage with Bobby D. What up D Hustle, what's going on? Guess where we at player San Francisco.

Speaker 2:

San Francisco, home of the Giants.

Speaker 1:

It's home of the Giants. You've seen the stadium, though right I've seen the stadium.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, it's a game today, a matter of fact yeah, for sure, big big shout outs who they playing.

Speaker 1:

You said that you saw who they playing.

Speaker 2:

I think st louis yeah, I think it was shout out to that team organization over there look at you they're pitching.

Speaker 1:

Uh-huh, no doubt, no doubt. So we out here in salesforce tower too, we up in the stars, yo can you believe it, yeah now I? I caught a view earlier. You better catch that picture and post it you going to put me in it. Tag me in it, the one when you walked in, bro, when you seen the whole view. That very first one, I already posted it. I'm not talking to you, bro.

Speaker 2:

You see, that's why he's holding it back because he didn't tag me Make sure you tag me, bro, I'll send it to you All.

Speaker 1:

Right player. Great episode here backstage with Bobby D and I got a guest for you all. She goes by MGD and Myesha. Welcome to the stage.

Speaker 2:

Myesha, yes, yes, yes, welcome home. Welcome to my home. Oh, she gave us a warm welcome there. Are there not a lot of people that can say they were born and raised in the bay? But I was born and raised in San Francisco that's what.

Speaker 1:

What's up. That's what's up. It's by far one of the most beautiful cities I've ever had a chance to live in visit Very organic and I tell you I feel like I'm living in the future for real, like there's so many crazy things going on and organic tree hugging Look at you Farm to table.

Speaker 2:

Farm to table, that's how we farm to table Always always.

Speaker 1:

Table always always. But maisha, uh, first of all, thank you so much for pulling up to the show here we come to hank out and chat up a little bit, um, definitely, definitely. Um. So to kick us off in the conversation, um, it's definitely just tell us a little bit about your starting into tech, um, and definitely where you're at in your journey now, because I think mit might be even something she mentioned like balling, like that.

Speaker 2:

You know, okay, okay.

Speaker 1:

That's amazing. Okay, okay, okay, all right, myesha, what's up? I'm going to spoil it right now.

Speaker 2:

So I am a strange bird. I'm an HR professional now who started as an engineer Really felt like there was something missing in HR and they just needed to do things differently. I still think there's a lot of room to improve HR and, as you see, a lot of HR tech and AI coming together.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

My scientist background has really positioned me to be a superstar. But I started my career, got a PhD in polymer science from Northwestern making baby diapers. I remember my grandmother saying you went to all that school to play with pee and poo.

Speaker 2:

And I was like, yes, ma'am, I did so, spent 11 years at Procter Gamble, mostly in the baby care business, making diapers, looking at absorbent materials, had great mentorship, learned a lot at a big company that did internal mobility, did career development well, and they're the ones that made me go do HR work. They were like we have a broadening assignment for you. So I remained forever grateful because I probably would have never done it. You know, when you go get an engineering degree you're a math science heavy. You're like what am I doing in HR? But had a great broadening assignment and said if I could ever go back, I would. And so when Microsoft here in the Bay Area called and said do you think you want to come do talent acquisition full time, I was like sign me up, put me in coach, because I knew that tech needed somebody like me who was not afraid to take chances, who was not risk averse and who can really help diversify.

Speaker 2:

Say that again for the audience, not afraid to take chances, courageous leadership is one concept that I talk a lot about, but leaders aren't courageous.

Speaker 2:

You know, it's a scary place to be a leader, and so when you think about DEI and like diversifying your team, yeah then you, you take a lot, of, a lot of hits for that, you know, wanting to do the right thing, but it was always the comfortable place for me. So I came to Microsoft. Twitter found me. I was in the same building, so it was so crazy. The day I interviewed at Twitter, I took off work for Microsoft and people were like you're not supposed to come in this entrance. This is the Twitter entrance.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, because security already knew you right.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, they knew what was up, so I interviewed and I remember when I got to Twitter there was one black engineer one black engineering manager I should say and I remember my first week, the blackbird said you need to fix this. We brought you here, you got work ma'am, and so when I look at where Twitter was when I left, it was amazing the blackbirds and I still hear the compliments to that employee resource group and then fast forward at Eventbrite came to help rebuild their team.

Speaker 2:

right, you know you think about the pandemic. There were no events. The world shut down.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Laid off 60% of the workforce, and so we need to get new and fresh talent there. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Give Maisha a big round of applause.

Speaker 2:

Shout out to all. Shout out to all the organizations. She mentioned some big names on the top of the list especially her name.

Speaker 1:

And you know, the funny thing is is that, as maisha mentioned, microsoft is in the same building, right, and I remember I used to see microsoft people all the time and I'm like, oh, and then maisha says yeah, I went from this floor just up to the next floor and interview, and that's what's up congratulations on that journey because, um, first of all, being a woman in tech, uh, being a person of color, you you stepped into a position that I feel like a lot of people don't understand how it feels to be who you are and then the weight that that carries with you.

Speaker 1:

And I will say, when I first met you in twitter, I was so grateful that I seen you and I was like where's she sitting in the chart? That's where she's. Oh, we about to kill it, we about to get it, because I knew at that moment in time it was like it was the perfect opportunity for us to really embrace the challenges we had at Twitter with diversity and inclusion. And hearing you say when I got there, I met the first black only engineering manager, rip Thaddeus yeah, we talked about him yesterday too and definitely wanted to say I appreciate you. I don't know if I've ever told you this face to face, but as an employee that was there for a minute before you got there, it was probably one of the brightest days of my life when I seen that in that organization recruiting pipeline we had somebody that played on our team type stuff you get what I'm saying.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so I do appreciate you and I want to make sure you hear and give her some roses.

Speaker 2:

I'm gonna take all my flowers, roses, daffodils. Give them all to me.

Speaker 1:

Give them all to me thank you so much for that and definitely always, uh, interested in you know chopping it up, but we're going to step back a little bit in your career journey. Um, because you mentioned pg and e being an engineer.

Speaker 2:

You mentioned png, pg and e is here.

Speaker 1:

That's like give me a womp, you know, you know, bobby, sometimes png, but uh, tell us about that in terms of like what? What was the thing that got you into tech or got you into engineering and eventually you know that type of contributions at that company yeah, I have phenomenal teachers that believed in me.

Speaker 2:

Right, I graduated number one in my class here in san francisco listen up, people stop playing around man.

Speaker 1:

Listen, listen to this young lady over here.

Speaker 2:

So I had a lot of people that believed in me and planted the seeds, and I think that's important for young people, especially brown and black children. They need to know that they can do it. Yeah, and it. I had a lot of people that believed in me and planted the seeds, and I think that's important for young people, especially Brown and black children. They need to know that they can do it. And it wasn't easy. But you know, people were pushing me, saying you got this, you got this. And so I was the first person here in the Bay area and San Francisco to go to MIT from my high school and to win the Coca-Cola national scholarship. So there was a lot of folks telling me I could do it. Now, I'm not saying mit was easy, yeah, yeah, um, I had to go there and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I thought I was going to be pre-med until I fainted at the sight of my own blood. I might need a new career aspiration.

Speaker 1:

She's like yo. I see that it was like.

Speaker 2:

I'm about to change the game it's too much, and so I had a wonderful professor my first year at MIT that helped me figure out I could do material science and engineering. I want to do it. I want to know what things are made of, and I think it really goes back to the curiosity yeah you know, I think when we stifle and tell our children don't ask why, why, why.

Speaker 2:

I have very supportive parents who let me ask why, why, why? And a supportive community. I know people see how beautiful San Francisco is. I grew up in the inner city here and people are like, yeah, yeah, right, but I grew up in the inner city, my cousin was the shot caller in the neighborhood so I couldn't get in trouble if I wanted to. My father worked at the community center. Everybody knew who I was and so even when I, you know, took a detour home from school, people would treat me like a pinball machine and say aren't you supposed to be here?

Speaker 2:

or there and that's when neighborhoods and communities, community, you know, and took care of folks, so I couldn't get in trouble if I wanted to.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's feeling. Yeah, that's something that I've always uh appreciated, especially, uh, when you take, you know um, those that live in a city life and understand what it means to live in the city and have a community around you. Like D hustle you from east New York.

Speaker 2:

Right, you've had that community feeling, right yeah, I really hear to everything she's saying yeah, I go outside, what are you doing?

Speaker 1:

yeah, did your mom and dad know you outside yeah what?

Speaker 2:

I'm just going to the store, that that part. And they still, even with my children we go to AAU tournaments. They still call me Little Larry, my father's Larry Gray.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

People know me and my son is just like can we go anywhere? I said they know your grandfather. That's what happens when you put in time and give back. People know.

Speaker 1:

Exactly, and a big round of applause to the Pops, that type of contribution because running and managing the community center as such, I know when I was a young kid I needed that outlet. I needed to get outside, run around, have my peers in my neighborhood and I tell you we didn't have a community center manager but we definitely had that community spot where older people looked over us and gave us guidance. So big shout outs out to them for sure, 100%. And they called you who, little Larry?

Speaker 2:

Little Larry, still, I mean still to this day.

Speaker 1:

That's what's up. That's what's up. So you went out to MIT and you developed some new skills around. You know engineering and product development, but how did that like transition from that into tech?

Speaker 2:

You know, I will tell you, I just got back from Boston, which is my least favorite city, so I'm sorry for all of you who love Boston.

Speaker 2:

It's hard to be black and brown in Boston and so I have to have a full agenda when I'm there. But I went back for my 25-year reunion about two, three weeks ago. Congratulations Round of applause for her. I knew I was going to be back 25 years after I graduated. It was important, but I think what I realized when I was there is the network. Some of what MIT gave me was the technical skills. Polished those up, but it was the network. I think about the people that I went to school with. I think about Sal Kahn from Kahn Academy was in my graduating class.

Speaker 2:

I think about the founder of CODA. I just sent Shashir an email and they were like. You know these people. I'm like we went to school together. So as much as I think about the work, so much of the networking and the network was important in learning how to work that network. That has come to help me as I think about transitioning into tech. You know so many of these folks. When you think about degrees of separation, these tech companies were built by friends sitting in a coffee shop, friends that have some small number of degrees of separation and so I think MIT prepared me greatly for that.

Speaker 1:

That's what's up. Congratulations on that, and I tell my mentees all this all the time we heard this on the street it's not your network, it's the network that creates your network. Right, it's like the people that you're connected to will eventually open up those opportunities for you to level up, um and shoot. I got my issue in my network, so I'm good, yeah, I'm good from here going forward Awesome awesome, so in terms of like.

Speaker 1:

so you said Microsoft was one of the first tech spots that you transitioned from, from P&G. How was it at Microsoft? How did that journey go?

Speaker 2:

It was different. We were the only site outside of home, you know, home base for Microsoft. They run Redmond Seattle, you know you think about.

Speaker 2:

Amazon, microsoft and Bill Gates built those exits. They have buses, they have that campus feel and imagine being here 3,000 folks here in the Bay Area. We're all acquisitions. So most of the companies that Microsoft has in the Bay Area were an agglomeration of acquisitions trying to become Microsoft. So it was definitely a lot of culture work, which is where I really kind of became an HR person, because you're trying to integrate all of these acquisitions two person, five person, 12 person into the Microsoft way. So it's not just the talent acquisition and teaching them how to hire, it really is the culture work which I fell in love with.

Speaker 1:

That's what's up. That's what's up. Yeah, I think that culture work is something that I think a lot of people don't realize how impactful it is, especially from an engineering perspective. Like once, I felt like I belong. Oh my gosh, I was able to develop and create the moon and stars, mindset wise and dream and not be worried about you know someone you know having an opinion about me based on who I was physically outside.

Speaker 1:

Right, it was like hey, mentally, like Bobby D, what can you really come up with? And I tell you, as soon as I embraced that, it was like skies wasn't the limits for me, it was like yo, if I got my squad with me and they all supported me and they understand what I bring in terms of contributions, we can go and create some really cool stuff. And I think outside, after working at Twitter, a lot of people can really realize some of the stuff that we've done, but not talking about me, but talking about your journey, transitioning from Microsoft to Twitter. What was that in terms of the culture differences and also definitely want to chop it up a little bit more about Blackbirds and how that impacted you.

Speaker 2:

Twitter was a different place, smaller. You know. When I got there, 3,500 people, microsoft was 120,000 people. Microsoft knew they were the grandfather of tech at about 45 years old. They were old. You ask anybody, they were old. The products I supported weren't sexy. Right, I had PowerPoint. I had Outlook. I was dealing with candidates that had grown up with email. They were like what's so special about email? And Twitter had a sexiness about it the bird, what the app was. I actually think the pandemic helped Twitter exponentially. You think about we're all locked in our houses, we have nothing to do but tweet, right, and even for me, someone who didn't tweet heavily before I started at Twitter, I just loved the instantaneous communication and finding out what was happening in the world. It really became my news source and I'd be like is it on Twitter? And I think about all the things that we learned on Twitter before your news outlets paper or really the media, the TV could tell you that this happened yeah did Twitter say it, did it?

Speaker 2:

did Twitter verify that? Is it Twitter verified? Yeah, bigger than a blue check, right, is it viral? Then you know it, it happened. And so with you being in a company, being at the center, like that, there's a culture, there's a coolness, there's a happening. When you think about the, the buildings, you know everyone had their own flavor. You know they took free food to a different place.

Speaker 1:

You know, because that was table steaks. Yeah, it was. They took, you know, free food, the culture, we had djs at lunch.

Speaker 2:

It was they took you know free food, the culture. We had DJs at lunch. It was like this is not how people come to work. It's like you got spaces to just be you, do you? It was cool. They made working in tech cool. Yeah for sure.

Speaker 1:

For sure, for sure. And I tell you, I remember my first time going into the cafeteria and having seen that DJ booth in the corner over there and I was like man, I guess they may just have that for an event. And then every day, an employee would sign up on the list and say, hey, I'm going to put my playlist on there and I'm going to go over there, scratch a little bit, kill it. I mean, you would have killed it, I know you would have had to killed it, right, but it just gave me that vibe and feeling like man, I feel like yo, this is the stoop, this is the hood, this is my home, this is like I don't even know if I want to leave, because food is great, they got showers, they got gyms, they got sleep rooms, they got everything you need to not even have to leave and, like you said, it made it cool to be a part of that team and that organization over there.

Speaker 2:

Sure, I feel like signing up an application right now. That's a lie. That's a lie. That was twitter 1.0.

Speaker 1:

I can't tell you what's happening over there today, but twitter twitter 1.0 was for sure for sure, actually I brought d out there. Uh, you came out of san francisco um, and he was the one with the camera walking around like this videos and the whole nine I was was making sure I got everything out?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, for sure it was a good experience, because in Florida I never had that opportunity.

Speaker 1:

It's just a little cubicle. All of the day. You have your 250-minute lunch. Yeah 30-minute lunch and then we come right back. We go right back to I-95 home.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, 95 home. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then that's the only sightseeing I had was on i-95. I-95 is our highway, it's like, uh, oh, I'm familiar, I'm familiar, you know. The other piece I loved about twitter. I felt like I got to meet all the superstars I remember when regina king was using the platform for something, they brought her in, just the connections that they made with like twitter voices who were like superstars. That was like my. I feel like I made it that day when I was like, oh, I'm here with Brenda.

Speaker 2:

I'm here with she is everything Facts. Yes, I'm here, For sure.

Speaker 1:

It's always so great when you're associated in not even associated, but you're pouring into the cup in terms of your contributions to an organization like that, and then you get to see the impact that it has, because for me, vits are very important. Tweets. We're like always the thing for me, like who's pulling up to the office? Oh, where are they going to be at? Oh, I'm definitely there and you hear how much they enjoyed the product too, because it wasn't like, hey, they're just here for the camera shot, but they're here to maybe even tell us, hey, you need to add this feature, you need to take this away, or can y'all do this better, type stuff. So, as an engineer, it was always good to, you know, get some feedback that way, um, but yeah, it was definitely once in a lifetime d and I'm I'm appreciative that you got a chance to experience it just a little bit, um, but yeah, I was.

Speaker 1:

I'll hold it down almost there, almost nine years, uh, and I started back in 2013 and, um, one thing that was always the biggest challenge for me is not seeing enough people that look like me, especially on the engineering side of the house, and that was something that I think, once you got on board, you were really able to influence that. So tell us a little bit about, in terms of, like, some of your main endeavors yeah, I think the support from the top is important.

Speaker 2:

I think I tell candidates when you are looking for a job, you're interviewing them and they're interviewing you, and so I met with your VP of engineering, head of engineering, mike Montano.

Speaker 1:

Mike Montano.

Speaker 2:

He was very instrumental in saying this is what I want. And before they would give me an offer, he was like you got to go to NSBE in Detroit. I was like, say less. I was like you gotta go to nesby in detroit. I was like, say less. I was like that's what it's gonna take for me to get an offer is to go to the cookout, the engineering cookout, in detroit. I was like I'll say less. And so I remember getting there. I remember seeing you, bobby, with the green background, just working the booth with students. He saw a lot of my friends come and visit and he was like, oh you, you already, already, I know we're going to do it.

Speaker 2:

And so I think having that support of a leader, say this is what I want and mean it, and visibly show up like I didn't feel, like I ever had to drag him to go there, I think even Jack, who was like I want to be the only CEO at NSBE and at SWE and at CHIP, you know all these kinds he wanted to be that person at Grace Hopper it made it easy. So it was like just go do what you do, mgd, and I think the secret sauce. And I tell people who are looking to hire diverse talent, you Brown and black folks are very relationship oriented. They got to trust you. They have to trust you and they can read through lip service, they can see what's fake, they know what's not authentic, and so they knew that we were really our authentic selves right.

Speaker 1:

They knew it.

Speaker 2:

They knew it. So if you're looking as a company to get more of us, you have to, and it had to start at the top. So when I said you have one black engineering manager, we got to do better. And so we started. You know, you saw nick caldwell, brian black. It was like we have jasmine jones. It was like people were like, where are you getting them all from? No, they're just, they're there. We don't have a pipeline issue, we just have to make sure that we support and grow and develop. So you know, shout out to leadership for support, 100% shout out to that and you dropped some gems there because the idea of especially being an employee.

Speaker 1:

I've always never wanted to cross that table into management. I'm an ant worker and I like the keyboard too much and I just could not get away from that and I didn't want to be a micromanager. I'm shooting for principal, you know. I want to be able to understand how this whole system work, type stuff and it always left a gap in terms of the management side of the house. And hearing you, you know getting those initial feelings of like, hey, we want to do this. And you're like, oh, I'm on board.

Speaker 1:

And then they tell you, oh, before you even say, we're going to send you off to NSBE. That's like, where are you going to send me To NSBE? And then you get to see the IC side of the house, how driven, how ambitious we are, how eager we are to showcase what we create in terms of culture and the computing system and the services that we offer. And then you're like, oh, yeah, we can definitely level this up. So I already said this earlier, but let's give Myesha Aisha a round of applause for sure, because you mentioned some names there, like Nick Caldwell, mr Glaxon. Like those are VPs that when I seen their names pop up in the org chart. I promise you tears, because they're VPs, they're not entry level, first level. No, they're sitting at the right table that they can make the impact. And I don't know. At first I was like how in the world this happened.

Speaker 2:

Now I know and wanted to make the impact, because one of the first things Nick came in and said was my first meeting with him dev color was there he was on the dev color board. Yeah, he was like I want you to figure out how we make this work for Twitter. He was like that's what we're gonna do.

Speaker 2:

So he opened up and was lifting as he climbed and said this is important to me, so I want you to make sure you connect with DevColor, connect me with other organizations, use me. You can always get on my calendar and told his admin. Sometimes we put people in these leadership roles and they're just there. Nick was bad about it. He was about that life. He knew there, just there. Yeah, nick was bad about it. He was about that life. He knew what he wanted and in every space that he played, he was about diversifying it, so he was my guy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, so make sure we're trying to pull up on you in new york. You know I already sent you the message, right?

Speaker 2:

come through nick caldwell, don't.

Speaker 1:

Don't make me use all the other connections we have but, yeah, we're gonna be pulling up on them in new york, uh, if the stars lined up well, uh, but in general it is an engineer.

Speaker 1:

When they said the head of engineer was nick codwell, I don't know how to express the enjoyment that I had, especially the tables that I was sitting at. So I was a lead engineer going up the ladder sitting at these bigger tables. But now one of my things that I always have a challenge is who do I look up to or who do I have to push ideas to? And when that name came up there and I clicked that button and I double-tapped that, I was like, oh, that's what I'm talking about, because, just as an employee this is the other side of it that I think a lot of people don't realize the value of D&I is that, as an employee, that right there just gave me even more chip, more like my posture straight. I'm ready to go, I'm ready to do this, I'm ready to finally make the impact that I know I can, because I know I got somebody to got my back right.

Speaker 2:

I talk a lot about windows and mirrors and I even talk about it in the concept with my kids. Do you see yourself? When you look out in a mirror? You see yourself, right? Whether that be up down, left right, you want to see yourself. Whether it's your peers, whether it's leadership, whether it's people that are going to work for you, everything can't be a window. I just can't look out and say, oh, that person that looks like me is over there because it doesn't feel attainable, so we. That person that looks like me is over there because it doesn't feel attainable, right?

Speaker 1:

so we talk a lot about windows and mirrors and we needed to have mirrors inside our organization, you know, for the betterment of folks yeah, give a round of applause and throw an agenda too, so those that watch youtube know this is the spot to come listen in, because that's definitely some value there. Um, one other thing that I I think we briefly talked about and definitely been mentioning Blackbirds. But tell me a little bit about that ERG and kind of like. When you first pulled up, you got into Twitter. You seen, you know NSBE leadership is there. Now you have an employee resource group that definitely could, you know, be resources to level up, but how did that all play out for you?

Speaker 2:

I think week one. Y'all sat me down, let's not act like.

Speaker 2:

Week one. You all had the numbers and the data and reminded me a lot of my time at Procter Gamble. We spent a lot of time understanding the numbers, what were we recruiting, what were we retaining, who was being advanced. So our ERG spent a lot of time. So it was actually heartwarming that the blackbirds rolled up on me and was like we need you to be at this meeting, sit on down, let us tell you what we want. And then, trusted to let me go do it, and I said just give me some time. I got to make some moves within my organization because I think the first thing and I say this unapologetically HR is too white. I've never seen a function that is supposed to represent all the people and it is predominantly run by white women, and so I had to switch my team up to get them to understand that diversity was everybody's job.

Speaker 2:

You know, when I got to Twitter, they had two people working on diversity recruiting. I'm like two, it's everybody's job. You know, when I got to Twitter, they had two people working on diversity recruiting I'm like two.

Speaker 2:

It's everybody's job. You know everybody's job to be inclusive, to think about how we make every candidate see themselves here, that we understand what it's like to be a diverse person or a marginalized person. I know you mentioned me on the intersection of being a black woman, but I also am a person with a disability. I've had two cornea transplants, was legally blind, so I always talk about being a triple minority and wanting to make sure that those who have disabilities can come and bring their best self and remote work really helped them do that. Once you don't have to leave your house, you can set it up how comfortably you need it. So I think that was really a game changer in the future work for people with disabilities or invisible or differently abled, however you'd like to call it.

Speaker 2:

But you know I wanted to make sure that all the people had all the things, and so one of the things I loved about the Blackbirds was the accountability. You all were tough. You held everyone accountable for everything and making sure that your voices were heard and again, your ERG leader supported you. I think sometimes people feel like, as leaders, I don't have that shared lived experience, but that doesn't mean you can't be supportive for sure and Mike was super supportive and I remember when Dantley came and Nick came, everybody wanted to be the advisor.

Speaker 2:

They were like you had a, an advisor, but then you had all the sub-advisors just everybody really wanted to, who had that lived experience. And so you all were tough. You knew how to have a good time.

Speaker 1:

I mean.

Speaker 2:

I mean, I think about this, the versus battles. I mean I just think about how you were connected to the culture and a lot of ERGs aren't? They lose who they are. They try to fit in and assimilate to what they think they're supposed to do Not you all? Because I remember when y'all gave out Afro picks and do rags and bonnets and I was like every ERG ain't giving out bonnets. Sweet Jesus, they not giving out the bonnets For sure, for sure, no doubt.

Speaker 1:

Actually, that reminds me of something, whatever do without my baby.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you know.

Speaker 1:

I remember we were hosting something for Afrotech at the office and Blackbirds was, you know, kind of leading the whole conversation, bringing some, you know, black employees, including engineers, up on stage and you know me and, um, I, you know me, bobby d. You know. They said, bobby, can you, you know, go say a few words? And I was like just a few, all right, just make sure you got an extra space for me at the end, because I got more than just a few words.

Speaker 1:

But the other thing is I was walking around when my haitian flag took to my, my belt loop, and let me tell you, first of all, other people seeing that me wearing a twitter shirt, haitian flag, how many people came up to me to be like, oh, I'm Haitian, or oh, my gosh, you're, you're from the Caribbean, or man, this is how it is here.

Speaker 1:

I was like, yeah, this is how it is, stick around, cause I got something for you and I got a chance to get up on stage, talk a little bit about my journey. And then they asked stuff like that. So I go up there and literally a drop the mic moment, and I remember watching a video where maisha was I guess somebody caught you and you said I said something like, oh, do y'all want me to do a poem? And you look back at the camera, look at somebody and like it was about to be on, like it was like, oh y'all just don't know what's about to go down and I promise you literally it was probably one of my best moments at Twitter because I got to have one of those real authentic moments, unexpected by everybody you know.

Speaker 1:

I got a round of applause and everything you know me, but in general, the key thing was is that I want to make that little impact and you don't know how many people I run into. I went to Afrotech. It's like, were you at that Twitter? Wasn't that you at the Twitter event?

Speaker 2:

2019,. Afrotech was memorable. Memorable. Even the party at the complex went down. They wouldn't let in just anybody and my councilman got stopped at the door. He thought he was going to roll in last minute. He's like I'm the councilman of District 6. They were like the end of the line we're going to have a councilman. I got you. Yeah, for sure I got you, but it was legendary.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh, that was such a great time 2019. It was memorable and for me and I'll tell you the reason why when I did that, myesha why it felt so comfortable for me Because by 2019, I was there at Twitter about seven years already and one of the things that we used to do in the office when I first got there is tea time. But we used to do it kind of different, where it was like people would literally get up on stage and really just showcase their skill set, hosting events and stuff like that. So I've hosted stuff like that and I never seen you all see me do stuff like that in front of everybody. So I was like you know what? I'm going to take it to the next level, like we used to do way, way back in the days at Twitter, and it was just so that y'all can really just get that like oh, it's really like this, yeah it's really like this.

Speaker 2:

I know it is because that's where I got my Hennessy margarita recipe from. While you're tripping from the blackbirds and Twitter, that's what's up.

Speaker 1:

That's what's up. Oh my gosh, that was such an awesome time. And our last guest we had yesterday, meryl. I'm not sure if you remember Meryl, but Meryl was like just reminding me of how much enjoying that culture experience changed her life in terms of engineering. And I'm about to make a connection to something else, because she was like yo, can I still get one of them Stay Woke shirts? And I was like Meryl, you know you can't get one of them shirts, but I'm going to talk to Myesha, though, because Myesha got a story around that I do have a story.

Speaker 2:

When Elon was over there trashing that closet with all the Stay Woke and all the other Blackbirds paraphernalia that was my closet. I had bought all of that because I'm like, oh, we just get ahead. We have all these events coming up nesby's in march yeah then the pandemic hit.

Speaker 2:

Like end of february, early march, that was my closet and people were calling me like mgd is that your closet? I said it damn sure is he not lost his like? I was so hurt. But but I feel so empowered to see my kids in their Stay Woke shirts because we still have some the you Belong in Tech shirts. My kids still rock and P&G had my Black is Beautiful. So I feel like I'm raising these little empowered soldiers because of these mantras we stood on. But I might have I have a box I might have some Stay Woke, some you Belong in Tech, some Atlanta I love, pick a City shirt.

Speaker 1:

You know, I have.

Speaker 2:

Those were the. I mean, I can't believe him.

Speaker 1:

I know when I saw it.

Speaker 2:

I promised you, so you threw them out.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it was an awful tweet.

Speaker 2:

It was so awful he couldn't believe we had him. He made so much fun of it. It was just off color, but it was my closet.

Speaker 1:

It was all the stuff I had bought to get ahead of stuff we were gonna do for blackbird facts facts and and first of all, those mantras y'all, y'all were dropping oh my gosh, they, they, they're, they're engraved in my journey that I've had because I still rock those shirts and actually I don't wear them as much because they're throwbacks, so I don't want to mess them up. But I promise you, myesha, those type of statements that your organization stood on and you brought us along because you knew the impact that it would have for students to see that, and then have Merrill come here and asking me like yo, can you still get me the plug type stuff? Hands down those cultural things that you've done. We've already seen the results.

Speaker 2:

But I don't want to take all the credit for that. This had started before I got there. They just really needed a firecracker.

Speaker 2:

And you know, I think and my friends call me gasoline I'm going to turn it up and so I just put a little more fire on it to accelerate the progress we needed to make, and I think about how we blew our 2025 diversity goals out in 18 months. It was like this is those goals are nothing. We got this, and so I just think about what we did, but it wasn't me. We had an army of folks. We were changing hearts and minds, because that's really. You know, other people did a lot of the work yeah, and I just had got to have fun with them well, I appreciate you.

Speaker 1:

I don't know how much more I gotta say it. Uh, one other thing that I want to get some opinion about um. So some of our audience um are newer, you know, um individuals looking to get into tech um, and we're definitely servicing the underrepresented group um. We also have a lot of viewers that have been around the block a few times and they love us being able to bring you all to light and bring my journey to light. But in terms of those that are getting into tech and definitely the climate that we're in right now, what advice would you have for them in terms of, you know, pursuing the opportunities that they're really looking for?

Speaker 2:

I've been telling folks that tech is high risk, high reward and it's not the only place that you can do software development. And so, getting past, what is my end goal? Is it really to be in tech? Do I really need the Google name? Do I really need the name or do I want the experience and do I want to build my skill set? Because those are two different things, because you can build your skill set in software development, insight, reliability, engineering and you don't have to be at one of those big name tech companies. You can be at a big name other company and still get those skills, and I think that's what I push people to ask themselves Do you need the name? Yeah, and I say this and people say, well, it's easy for you to say that MGD, you've been at Procter Gamble, clorox, microsoft, twitter and Eventbrite, so I have been at some names.

Speaker 2:

But I also do a lot of stuff with startups, companies you never even heard of, right, because that's me knowing that some of the problems that I get at these big companies were because at one time they were small companies and didn't think about the people, the culture, the inclusion, the employee experience pieces early enough in their journey to become bigger. And so I ask people that I will say for early career folks, it's hard out there right now, but I think that group is something that we weren't. I feel like Our parents, my parents, indoctrinated that you had to go to school, you had to get a degree, you had to get a job. And I look at these folks doing stuff we never like a gap year, a gap year. You're going to take a gap year and go do what? You getting a job? You saving money to pay for school? No, I'm going backpacking around whatever. My parents just would never have understood that.

Speaker 2:

And so, while tech is high risk, high reward, I also think that our Gen Zers are so adventurous and that they have different paths and they're okay with that and there's not the kind of one size fits all that this is the path. They're picking their path, they're choosing the way and they're doing it their way, very much doing it their way. So what I'll say is continue to do that, because when I look at the number of startups, you see a lot more of those folks leaning into that Like no, I'm good, I want to work for folks, and I tell companies that's, we're going to have a gap. You know you're not going to have future leaders if you don't treat these Gen Zers better. Right? If you are so restrictive and haven't thought about how to evolve, we're going to have a gap. You're not going to have a future leader and your retirement plan ain't good.

Speaker 1:

Because they're definitely dependent on them to create the plan for them.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and they're innovative and if they can go get that venture capital money, why are they going to work for you? So I do think you see an entrepreneurial spirit in Gen Zers that you just don't see in others I think about. This is probably not the best example, but I was with a group chaperoning and they were talking about their businesses. Or when I read scholarship applications, like I sometimes will read for the Coca-Cola scholarship and others, my kids don't like when I do it because I come home and I'm like do you have a job?

Speaker 1:

Where's your business plan?

Speaker 2:

You don't even have a lemonade stand, you know, because these kids are like they got a business, you know, you know they got a nonprofit, they started. I'm like what are you doing with?

Speaker 1:

your life.

Speaker 2:

And so they're like no more reading scholarship applications, because I always think about, would I have gotten an MIT, would I have gotten a scholarship 30 years ago? Because, I mean, the game has changed For sure Very much entrepreneurial, and so I think that's what I encourage these folks to do, that Follow what is their passion.

Speaker 1:

Yeah Well, she's dropping them, gems. Mgd always coming with them bars. Y'all better be listening. And let me tell you there's a button on the side there. It's called Rewind. You put that button and want to go back, and then you get back to where we was at in the conversation. So big shout outs to you. I really do, really do, appreciate the feedback. Now we're not done with the show yet, but there's an opportunity for you to ask any questions that you ever want to ask. Bobby d definitely looking for d.

Speaker 2:

What are you doing? Do you get in position?

Speaker 1:

no, but more or less. Uh, definitely want to give you a space. If there's any questions that you want to throw out there, this is your chance to interview me, don't you know that's in the interview process. What would you like, or is there anything else you want to know?

Speaker 2:

I got to think about. When I got you in your career journey, when I met you, when our paths intersected, you were definitely in that space where you were you. You were Bobby D. You were bringing your authentic self. Were you always that person, and what did it take for you to feel comfortable being?

Speaker 1:

who you are For sure? That's a great question, because I think a lot of people when they catch me in that part of the journey, they're like oh, you were like this all the time. But to tell you the truth, Maisha, it wasn't until I got to Twitter, until I got that sauce with the culture, Because one thing that happened in 2013 when I got hired is by that time, I was already in the industry about 10 to 12 years already down in South Florida, and when they flew me out to interview, I was ready. I was computing at a very high level, but that also meant that I was one of those with, you know, computing at a very high level, but that also meant that I was one of those with the blinders on right. My first two years at Twitter, I didn't even know about Blackbirds. My first two years was like this, because the group itself wasn't really reestablished or what it was.

Speaker 1:

When you got there and the thing that just opened me up was I had a manager that he was one of those that always wore like not a suit, but really nice dress, tie, briefcase every day working at Twitter. I mean, people are coming in with slacks, shorts, kilts, sandals, and he dressed up every day and one day him and I were having a one on one and he was like I was like yo, but why are you? Why you dress up every day? I mean the the. He came in one day with some nice coat like a peacoat on.

Speaker 1:

I was like yo, but why you dress up every day? I mean, he came in one day with some nice coat like a pea coat on. I was like dang, you're looking clean. He was like that's the thing. Just because they can do that, that doesn't mean that I can't do what I enjoy doing, which is dressing up and being clean-cut gentleman, right? And I'm like in my mind, and he was like yo, just be Bobby D, Just be Bobby D and watch how much more people embrace you rather than still, you know, holding back. And I tell you, I started to wear my Miami Heat hat. I got a peachy.

Speaker 1:

I started rocking my Miami Heat hat wearing my. Do we have a Knicks fan here? Are you a Knicks fan?

Speaker 2:

wait, wait you can't be shouting out the Knicks in warrior country. What's the button? I don't. I need a button. This warrior's country, you tripping where are you?

Speaker 1:

that's the hustle for you, right? So I'm over there rocking, and that's the time the heat were up. Lebron was on the squad, right, we was killing it. So for me, I I just started to be more myself. Even at work on fridays, I used to be afraid for my headphones to accidentally come off in the music plays. One day it happened. My guy was like yo, turn that up. I was like all right, you want to listen to this biggie? All right. Every friday, people expected me to turn the music up and I was like man, this is the vibe, this is, this is what I should be feeling like.

Speaker 1:

And, before you know it, four years afterwards question up so you're able to put the music on with the curse words.

Speaker 2:

Yes, for sure, for sure, yeah, yeah. Shout out to that. I thought it had to be no, no, no, not that it was wild, it was wild, it was wild.

Speaker 1:

It was wild Facts, facts. And the cool thing is is that by the time y'all got to Twitter, I was already primed. I was like three years in and they said Bobby B, bobby, bobby D. I was like oh my gosh, and I was at a very high level of engineering. So it was like yo, I kind of was myself still maintain that high level engineering and also like I started to change the culture around me in terms of who wanted to work with me, because now everybody wants to work with me, because they figured out he's actually really cool, not just a really smart black dude type stuff.

Speaker 2:

You did a couple other things and I think you're being modest One as a talent acquisition leader. You didn't have a traditional path, you don't have a degree, and so a lot of people think you have to have a degree to be in tech. And I know, growing up, black and brown teach and preach education, and so when I got there I was like, okay, we really do need to talk about skills, because here you have a high level, high performing engineer that doesn't have a degree, so I don't know what we're teaching in those computer science programs, but that learned experience, that on the job training prepared you. So that was one of the Bobby D isms that you, you know, I brought to my HR work. And the second one was you were remote.

Speaker 2:

And so to still be able to deliver at a high level and not be sitting necessarily next to your boss or next to your team. You would fly in like monthly I think, but you still were able to be seen and be visible.

Speaker 2:

And I think that was another thing I remember, because part of what they brought me in was to think about how we built strong, distributed teams yeah and you were already distributed, so your team was one of those that we used as a model, because you have this diverse cat living in Miami on a different time on the boat probably.

Speaker 1:

I was probably on the yacht that day.

Speaker 1:

No, I'm just messing, but that is so true, like uh because low-key, I didn't know that was going on in the background. The thing that used to happen was my manager used to come and ask me like yo, so tell me how things are going. And then he was like yo, um, can you like give us an idea of like, why is this working so well, what you're doing, right? And so I'm just giving the game, like, hey, this is what I'm doing, let's make myself available. I even had at my desk area a TV, a monitor that logged in, and I logged in from my office at home so people could see me at the office, like I was at the office, right.

Speaker 1:

And as soon as I started to pitch these things I'm so grateful that that was in place, because COVID came in afterwards and it was like yo, how do we play this? And then my manager was like yo, I got the playbook type stuff and it definitely gave us a chance as an organization to understand the value around it, because I didn't have to move to San Francisco or I didn't have to be in that building to still make those type of contributions. So see, you never know who's watching. I'm watching, I'm watching.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Angie.

Speaker 1:

Any other questions, any other questions. That's what I'm going to do. Any other questions, any other?

Speaker 2:

questions Are you ever going to go back to traditional or do you love this non-traditional being? On your own.

Speaker 1:

Tell me, tell me, I tell you I do miss the keyboard. I'm not going to front because I am a technologist and I really do miss the techie part. The thing that I think and I was talking to a mentee of mine the other day is that I'm waiting for the industry to catch up where I was at, because the industry, in terms of what we built at Twitter, was so far ahead. Where the industry's at, it's making progress and eventually we'll get there in terms of the technical aspects of it. But I will definitely get back at it. I'm going to enjoy my time hanging out with D-Hustle traveling the country, right?

Speaker 1:

Meeting some really great people having some good conversations, I think, an idea of building my own and working on that. So keep keeping out for that. You know, Maisha, I'm trying to highlight some VCs and stuff like that. You never know.

Speaker 2:

And you know who can do all your people stuff, because I think a lot of these startups don't think about the people dynamic. They just think about the product. If I have a good enough product, we get that out. That's what matters. People pay for it, but the company crumbles because people make the product Facts 100%.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for reminding the audience right.

Speaker 2:

But I'm going to get back at it.

Speaker 1:

I really am Because I think, in terms of just the trajectory that I'm going to get back at it. I really am Because I think in terms of just the trajectory that I'm heading. In terms of the technical aspect, I didn't get there at Twitter. Twitter was just a peak, but when you get over that one mountain, you see another one just as tall, right, or even taller. I'm definitely willing to make those type of contributions, so keep going. Myisha might be helping me find some people. You know we're going to make it work. Dehustle, we're going to make it work. Well, myisha, thank you so much For coming in having a great conversation. How did you enjoy?

Speaker 2:

your conversation, my pleasure. I'm just again Honored that you thought about me when you came to my home. This is my town. If you had snuck in my backyard and didn't even say hello, I would be talking about you, I'd be slow dragging you like I know he didn't come to my town and not even at least tell me he was coming.

Speaker 2:

I had to hear all these wonderful podcasts, but just you know, thank you for thinking of me. I love sharing where I can, lifting as I climb, which is an important um now more than ever yeah, for sure, for sure.

Speaker 1:

Well, give my a round of applause. Do you have anything?

Speaker 2:

to throw in. I was working with Bobby. I worked for them. Bobby would do anything I asked and when you know you have support, I could ask them can you go to this conference, can you speak to this group of students, no matter how big or how small? They would always, and bobby would always step up and we would have him in the front line. Every program for high school students, college students, you say put me in coach. And that's, that's what you need as a dei leader.

Speaker 1:

Put me in coach and we didn't pay my issue for this.

Speaker 2:

Thanks, thank you the last time our guest. You always just last time. Well, I was wondering Thanks, and we didn't pay Myesha for this, so just want to give everybody a heads up about that, thanks.

Speaker 1:

Thanks, last time our guest, you always try to slash something on the table. Well, I just wanted to be sure she was telling the truth.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I feel you though.

Speaker 1:

All right, d Hustle, as always. Thank you so much for your contributions to Myesha. The show could not be the show us coming on the streets without stopping by to say what's up with you, so we really appreciate it. Turn it up a little bit more d? Um. Let me close it out real quick. I hope y'all enjoyed this conversation. Mgd came through and let me tell you that rewind button. Get familiar with it because she's dropping gems. We're pulling up throughout the country. You'll see us in different cities, definitely hollering at some of our old peers and definitely want to say thank y'all so much for tuning in to Backstage with Bobby D.

Speaker 2:

Holla at your boy it's Bobby D.