Tech Companies Announce Girls Who Code Initiative

Note: This post was excerpted from an article written by Nick Bilton for the New York Times. Click here to access the original article.

It’s no secret that programmers who work at start-ups are predominantly men. This is evident on all corners of the Internet: from the naming of some products — which can sometimes “make women cringe“ — to the endless stream of “top 100″ lists that are often 95 percent men.

A group of technology companies hopes to change that. On Tuesday, Twitter, General Electric, Google and eBay announced that they were joining an initiative called “Girls Who Code,” which they hope will increase the number of young women who become programmers and engineers. They want to create a mentoring and teaching program.

Sara Haider, an engineer at Twitter, said the company would begin “an eight-week intensive program to teach basic principles of computer science and coding as well as sessions on design, research and entrepreneurship.”

Dick Costolo, Twitter’s chief executive, voiced the company’s commitment for the project, too. “Our support for this initiative represents our commitment to invest in, encourage and empower more women pursuing opportunities in technology,” he said.