Caste Discrimination Silicon Valley: what surveys show, Cisco and Google cases, how tech firms responded, what Dalit tech workers report.
This became a national story in the United States in June 2020 when the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued Cisco for the alleged caste discrimination against a Dalit Engineer (Reuters, “Caste in California: Tech giants confront ancient Indian hierarchy”). This was the first time the word “Caste” became popular in the US. It describes what happened in 2020, cites surveys, outlines what major tech companies have done, and what remains controversial. Allegations are not proofs and we’ve included every company’s statement.
Cisco Case (June 2020)
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued Cisco for civil rights violations for allegedly discriminating against a Dalit Engineer and retaliating against him for filing a complaint for discrimination against him by two upper-caste Managers (NPR, 2020; Al Jazeera, May 2021). Cisco denied the allegations (Al Jazeera). Cisco stated that it has a zero-tolerance policy against Caste discrimination but did not state whether it would incorporate Caste in its Code of Conduct (Al Jazeera).
In April 2023, the agency dropped its suits against the two engineers and continued its case against Cisco (Equality Labs press release, April 2023). As of July 2025, no suit was final against Cisco (AsAmNews, July 2025). Our Caste Discrimination in the Workplace guide has more details on the case.
Dalit tech workers speak out
As we reported last week, Dalit tech workers are coming forward. Last October, thirty Dalit women engineers from Google, Apple, Microsoft and Cisco, issued a statement to the Washington Post about their experiences with anti-Dalit bigotry. This year, Al Jazeera reported on the events. The statement is a collective account, not a legal account.
According to the Equality Labs, a U.S.-based civil rights organization, more than 250 Dalits from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and Netflix, have filed reports about discrimination, bullying and ostracism. Equality Labs also claims to have received more than 300 complaints after an online survey (NPR, 2020), which further supports the claims made by the aforementioned advocacy groups. Our explainer on who the Dalits are provides more information about this community.
The Google Talk
As we previously mentioned, in April 2022, Equality Labs founder Thenmozhi Soundararajan was supposed to speak to Google News staff for Dalit History Month, but the talk was canceled (Washington Post, as reported by the California State Senate, “In The News”). Some South Asian employees, who were against the talk, alleged it was “Hindu-phobic” (California State Senate). A Google News manager later resigned in support (California State Senate). Google denied they took any action against the manager (AP, via the California State Senate).
What surveys show (and don’t show)
One survey by Equality Labs in 2016, cited in Al Jazeera (May 2021), found that 2 out of 3 Dalit workers in the U.S. reported being harassed based on their caste at work. The Carnegie Endowment (Social Realities of Indian Americans, 2021) criticized Equality Labs’ survey for using a self-selected sample. According to the Carnegie Endowment (2021, as summarized in the Hindu American Foundation), 5% of Indian-Americans, in the past year, reported experiencing caste-based discrimination. Our post on caste in America, analyzes both surveys.
Neesa Gogue of Equality Labs (2022) claims, “The current representation of caste in the tech sector is hard to determine because companies haven’t collected this data.” There are no other reliable figures specific to the tech sector.
What did tech companies do?
We have seen varying responses. After September 2020, Apple added caste to equal opportunity and anti-harassment policies, and in its fair hiring policy, where 18 other attributes were listed (Reuters, 2022). Apple neither confirmed nor denied receiving complaints based on caste.
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In August 2022, Reuters reported that companies like Amazon, Dell, Meta, Microsoft and Google, had not mentioned caste in their main global policies (Reuters). Caste was reported to be mentioned in some of their other policies, for example, Dell’s social media policy, the human rights principles of Amazon’s sustainability team and Google’s code of conduct for suppliers (Reuters). Google said that, for them, discrimination on the basis of caste falls under national origin, ancestry and ethnicity (Reuters). Reuters mentioned that they were able to find the information reported in 2022, and policies may have changed since.
In May 2022, the California Civil Rights Department added caste to their example equal employment opportunity policy (Reuters).
The arguments
Staff groups, including the Alphabet Workers Union, believe that if companies named caste in their policies, they would likely increase investments in data collection and training for this area as they do for others (Reuters). A Google engineer in the Alphabet Workers Union said that he believes that there is significant caste discrimination in the United States (Mayuri Raja, reported by Reuters).
Others say, that by implementing caste-specific policies, companies single out Hindus and South Asians, and that existing legislation covers all forms of discrimination. The Google case shows that a lot of employees believe caste should not be an area of focus because it unfairly targets them (as shown in the leaked report of the cancelled talk), and that other laws cover discrimination, and therefore naming caste is not necessary.
AI and Hiring
Tech companies also build tools that can replicate caste stereotypes. Our post on caste bias in AI details the research.
What this means for workers and employers
For workers, the paths remain the existing legal channels and agencies. Our article on filing a caste discrimination complaint details the processes and the EEOC in the US and the UK, and the time limits to file. For employers, law firms suggest considering caste in policy and training (as detailed in our workplace guide). Meanwhile, blogging, AI and email marketing tools are essential for community members documenting caste discrimination, and the Ambedkarite Educational Program (AEP) has trained community members in these tools and other skills.
Takeaway
In 2020, the case of bias against Dalits by Cisco Systems (which Cisco denies, and as of the latest report, is still ongoing) drew public ire against the tech behemoth and entered the public domain. Nearly 30 women Dalit engineers and hundreds of other Dalit employees, tech workers and advocates have spoken of their experiences of discrimination in the industry, but their numbers remain unverified. Apple mentions caste in its policies, while other major companies, as of 2022, relied on policies covering national origin or ancestry. There are no reliable industry-specific data, and the debate continues on naming caste in rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there caste discrimination in Silicon Valley?
Dalit tech workers and advocacy groups say there is, and California sued Cisco in 2020 over an alleged case. Cisco denies the allegations. There is no reliable tech-specific survey, so the scale is debated.
What was the Cisco caste case?
In June 2020, California’s civil rights agency alleged that a Dalit engineer was discriminated against by two higher-caste managers. The agency dropped its claims against the two engineers in April 2023, and the case against Cisco continued. As of the last reliable report, it was still active.
Which tech companies have a caste policy?
Apple added caste to its policies after September 2020. As of August 2022, Reuters reported that several others, including Amazon, Dell, Meta, Microsoft and Google, did not name it in their main global policies. Please check current policies.
Who are Equality Labs?
A US civil rights nonprofit that works on caste in tech. Its 2016 survey found that two out of three Dalit respondents reported workplace harassment. The Carnegie Endowment criticised the study for using a self-selected sample.
What can a tech worker do about caste discrimination?
In the US, workers have filed under national origin, ancestry, religion or race, using the EEOC or state agencies such as California’s Civil Rights Department. Time limits are strict, so please see our complaint guide and speak to a qualified lawyer.
Understanding caste is step one. Building digital independence is step two.
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SOURCES
- Reuters via Euronews, “Caste in California: Tech giants confront ancient Indian hierarchy,” August 2022
- Reuters via Dawn, “Caste in California: Tech giants confront ancient Indian hierarchy”
- Al Jazeera, “Calls to tackle caste-based discrimination in US gather steam,” May 2021
- NPR, “California Workplace Discrimination System Sheds Light On Caste System,” 2020
- Equality Labs, “Cisco Still Faces Caste Bias Suit,” April 2023
- Slate, “Silicon Valley Has a Caste Problem,” 2022
- California State Senate, “In The News” (Washington Post report)
- Tech Workers for Caste Equity, February 2023
- AsAmNews, July 30, 2025
- Carnegie Endowment, 2025
- Hindu American Foundation, summary of the 2020 Carnegie survey
