[mburst]

> It's fortunate that the best jobs are the most fair, but even if a place sucks, a first SWE job is still a first SWE job.

I think part of this is just the free market at work. Some companies will pass on great talent to meet diversity goals and those that are focused on hiring the best people will end up giving themselves a better chance at succeeding

[luckydata]

it depends greatly on your definition of "best people". What I observed during my career is that no matter how much emphasis we put on things like schools, the best predictor of success is the quality and the composition of the organization. I've seen best people from other companies perform horribly, and people you wouldn't bet on with a sane mind go and do admirable things. Over time I learned to just let go of most of what my instinct tell me about perceived performance in tech work because frankly most of what we know and believe is bullshit.