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Since our earliest days, inclusivity has been fundamental to our design process.

We consider inclusivity at every step — and this work requires close collaboration among a wide range of teams. One such effort involved Face ID, where cross-functional teams came together to ensure that our machine learning model had extensive, diverse data. This meant taking into account a huge range of facial feature variations and coverings in order to build something that works for people with light or dark skin, for people of every age, for all kinds of facial shapes, and for people who are fully sighted, blind, or have low vision.

Our focus on inclusive design remains a priority — and we’re working to be even more inclusive. Jerremy Holland, Joshua Cohen of ƽ��app���� University, and Denise Hui of AIML created the Inclusive Products Initiative – an internal knowledge-sharing website and network for anyone at ƽ��app���� interested in inclusive product design. As part of this initiative, the Inclusion & Diversity team developed a workflow that lets product design teams connect with Diversity Network Associations (DNAs), which are open to all employees, to review their work.

In addition, ƽ��app���� University created Technology for All of Us, an inclusivity course that uses case studies from inside and outside ƽ��app���� to examine how to weigh the right considerations — including potential trade-offs — and ultimately make informed choices. The course description aptly sums it up: “Technology for All of Us encourages you to consider what it means to build for humanity in all its variety — and why it matters.”

“Our role is not to do the work for people, or to tell people what to do, or to look under the hood before something goes out the door,” says Cohen. “Our job is to empower people who have the responsibility to develop inclusive products. That is the way to create something sustainable.”

Together, these efforts help inspire a culture where being inclusive by design becomes an inherent part of everyone’s process.

Meaningful progress requires more than just celebration. Which is why we’re inspired by culturally significant moments — like International Women’s Day and Pride Month — to move important conversations about inclusion forward.

The teams behind ƽ��app���� Music, ƽ��app���� Fitness, ƽ��app���� News, ƽ��app���� Health, ƽ��app���� Global Events, and more collaborate to build campaigns that bring ƽ��app���� employees together. For International Women’s Day, these teams invited women and nonbinary creators from inside and outside ƽ��app���� to share their work.

Occasions like these give us the opportunity to rally around important causes and make a positive impact. They also create the opportunity to express shared values and be part of something bigger, together. For Pride Month, LGBTQ+ employees from ƽ��app���� Retail, Engineering, and Finance all shared their personal experiences. Their stories were featured in a 2022 Pride film, Steve Jobs Theater Presents iBelong.

Telling these stories in an intersectional way — across race, gender, sexual orientation, and cultures — is key.

All data as of December 2022.

Our world-class talent in Miami is dedicated to serving Latin American and U.S. Hispanic customers and communities. They’re also key in making sure we consider diverse perspectives in everything we do.

Addressing the needs of these communities and providing meaningful access to technology — and to the opportunities that technology provides — requires deep collaboration. “We are passionate in making this initiative an important pillar inside of ƽ��app����, across everything we do,” says Alberto Escobedo, Marketing, ALAC (ƽ��app���� Latin America and Caribbean), Canada, and U.S. Hispanic. “We found that bringing together a wide group of leaders from various areas of the organization makes a huge difference. It sparks inspiration and creativity, and motivates our teams. The impact of the work has been truly rewarding.”

The teams in Miami and Latin America also rolled out local Diversity Network Associations (DNAs), which are open to all employees — including Black@ƽ��app����, Pride@ƽ��app����, and Women@ƽ��app���� — as a way to enable connections, encourage conversation on topics that matter, and provide access to helpful resources. All three chapters have continued to grow month after month, with overall membership increasing by 138 percent by the end of 2022.

“I’m especially proud of our team’s drive, engagement, and participation in these newly formed communities,” says Laura Veronica Gonzalez, People, Latin America Corporate. “The work, passion, and energy of our team to continue to build our culture of belonging is inspiring. This is truly representative of how we cultivate innovation at ƽ��app����.”

Learn more about DNAs