One of the inventors of the pioneering IBM PC reflects on being Black in tech and why diversity is so hard for Silicon Valley

IBM inventor Mark Dean

Mark Dean was part of the team that invented the groundbreaking IBM PC, which ushered in the information technology revolution in the 1980s.
One of the most prominent African-American technologists, he recently shared his insights into being Black in the tech world and why diversity remains an elusive goal in Silicon Valley and the entire industry.
"In general, the tech industry has not worried about diversity," he told Business Insider. "Diversity just hasn't been high on the list of things to worry about. It has not been a priority."
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Mark Dean realized early on that prejudice against Black people did not always entail demeaning insults or physical assaults. It can also come in the form of an odd compliment.

He found this out when a white friend in junior high casually asked him, "You're not Black, are you? You get good grades and you do these things — and Black people don't do that."

The peculiar exchange ended with Dean clarifying that yes, he is Black and yes, "we can do these things." The encounter served as a prelude to his journey as a pioneering IBM inventor who helped build the original personal computer, and who went on to lead the tech behemoth's prestigious research lab in Silicon Valley.

Dean, who is now retired in his native Tennessee, looked back recently on his storied career, reflecting on the important role of diversity in tech and the challenges that African-Americans still face in that industry and beyond.

"In general, the tech industry has not worried about diversity," he told Business Insider. "Diversity just hasn't been high on the list of things to worry about. It has not been a priority."

The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis — described by Dean as "heartbreaking" — has sparked global protests, prompting major tech companies, including IBM, to affirm their commitment to diversity and racial justice.

Many tech giants also have programs for hiring more women and minorities. But Dean said meaningful diversity has remained elusive in the world of tech, where Black people and other underrepresented groups collectively make up only a relatively tiny slice of the overall workforce, despite halting efforts to change those ratios.

"The primary focus is growing revenue and getting products out the door," Dean says

A pivotal role in the PC revolution

What's ironic is that diversity played a critical role in one of the high points of Dean's career which was also one of IBM's biggest contributions to technology: the personal computer.

Dean was part of the team that invented the IBM PC, which ushered in the information technology revolution in the 1980s and dramatically changed the way people used technology.

Dean holds three of the first nine patents used to build the PCs. He came up with the architecture for connecting devices and helped invent the system that allowed PCs to display color. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1997.

"It was a small team and very diverse," he said. "We had a Hispanic person, German, Jewish, myself and a white person. It was truly unique. We all had different backgrounds. We each brought something to the table."

The IBM PC became an unexpected blockbuster for the company, he said, sparking the PC revolution – and playing a major role in helping Microsoft, which provided the operating system for the IBM PC, become a global superpower in its own right.

"We thought we could sell 200,000 machines. Little did we know it ended up selling millions per year."

'It takes time'

The PC was subsequently overshadowed by other devices, led by smartphones and tablets. But Dean took the lessons from being part of IBM's pioneering PC team to heart when he went on to lead Big Blue's renowned research organization in Silicon Valley.

Building and nurturing a diverse workforce became one of his priorities. It wasn't easy, he said. "It's a lot of work to manage because it can cause a lot of anxiety," he said, mainly because "people tend to want to work with people like themselves."

But that work paid off eventually, he said: "We got a lot of stuff done."

"It takes time," he said. "It takes that exposure to make those kinds of things happen and you learn how to create an environment where people are comfortable with people that aren't like themselves."

Got a tip about IBM or another tech company? Contact this reporter via email at bpimentel@businessinsider.com, message him on Twitter @benpimentel or send him a secure message through Signal at (510) 731-8429. You can also contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop.

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