Facebook rejects proposal to examine employee pay gaps
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Matt Rourke / AP
At its annual meeting on Thursday, Facebook shareholders rejected a proposal that the company prepare a report on employee pay across gender and ethnicity.
Facebook's board, which recommended against the proposal, argued that it already has systems in place to combat pay inequality. Arjuna Capital, which submitted the idea, says that third-party data suggests there are still gaps.
Why it matters: Along with hiring, pay gaps have also become a hot topic in Silicon Valley's conversation about diversity. Google is currently embroiled in a court battle over allegations that it's not paying female employees as much as men. Meanwhile, Salesforce has now audited its employee pay two years in a row, and spent $6 million to fill in the gaps, according to the company.
Other highlights from the shareholder meeting:
- New capital structure: Facebook's plan to restructure in order for CEO Mark Zuckerberg to retain control is still delayed by a lawsuit, so not expected before 2018 at the earliest, said the company.
- Fake news: The company plans to approach the issue similarly to spam, and wants to make it easier for users to access a spectrum of viewpoints.
- Oculus: Facebook doesn't plan on making much profit from its Oculus hardware in the next few years—instead it's focused on building content and software and making virtual reality tech as widely available as possible.
- China: The company wants to reach people in China, but it's taking its time to figure how to best do this.
