Apple CEO Tim Cook has revealed that this year’s WWDC keynote will not be an all-male affair.
The Apple head honcho was making an appearance at an orientation event for the winners of the company’s WWDC Scholarship Program just a day ahead of the WWDC 2015 event itself.
Cook told Mashable of his belief that “the most diverse group will produce the best product.” With regard to the current lack of female presence in the tech industry, he admitted that “we haven’t done enough to reach out and show young women that it’s cool to do it and how much fun it can be.”
The Apple CEO then claimed that prominent female role models were needed to inspire women to enter the tech industry. Understandably, then, Cook was questioned about the lack of female presence at the company’s own WWDC keynotes.
“I totally agree with you,” Cook said. “You’ll see a change tomorrow.”
Related: Opinion: Tim Cook’s privacy blast must apply to Apple too
Who might this female keynote presenter be? Well, there is currently just one woman on Apple’s senior management team, and that’s senior vice president of retail and online stores Angela Ahrendts.
Just below this top tier there’s vice president of environmental initiatives Lisa Jackson, and vice president of worldwide human resources Denise young Smith.
Our money’s on Ahrendts, perhaps talking about the progress of the Apple Watch and the unique retail experience Apple has created to sell it in-store. Or maybe it will be someone who is working further down the company’s hierarchy on a specific Apple product? We’ll find out more from 6pm tonight, UK time.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
