The tech industry is ending 2015 the way it began: With complaints that it is tone deaf to diversity issues.
On Tuesday, Twitter confirmed that it had hired a new executive to be in charge of making its work force more diverse. The executive, Jeffrey Siminoff, who held a similar role at Apple, replaced Janet Van Huysse, who left earlier this year. While the appointment would seem to indicate that Twitter is placing a renewed emphasis on diversity, it is not without its critics since Mr. Siminoff is a white male.
Criticism of Twitter, which has undergone dramatic upheaval over the last year with layoffs and the return of Jack Dorsey as its chief executive, has been particularly acute.
The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, the civil rights leader, has over the past year regularly attended shareholder meetings in Silicon Valley to draw attention to the issue.
“I thought that these tech companies would have been more inclusive, but they are way behind,” he said.