As a storytelling company, we know that stories have the power to change hearts, minds, and behaviors. Stories create empathy, which can inspire behavior change across Snap and the broader industry. And although our industry is data-driven, we understand numbers are not a substitute for lived experience. The differing lived experience of underrepresented groups can reduce feelings of belonging, which in turn reduces opportunity to realize potential. Our goal in inspiring empathy is to create a shared culture of belonging for all. In this section we consider how we can engage team members who may have very different backgrounds but want the same thing: the chance to do their best work in an inclusive culture where success is determined by talent, not identity.

"When I started Better Up coaching I was not confident. Actually I was very afraid. I didn't feel like I belonged, I didn't feel like I had a seat at the table. A year later, I'm completely different. The growth I've experienced hasn't just improved my life at work, it's improved my life outside work too. I've gone from feeling like someone who didn't have a seat at the table, to being the person at the head of the table.”

Chidinma Chuku
she/her
Co-Lead of SnapNoir,
Snap’s ERG for Black team members

In terms of our overall approach, what worked is inspiring empathy to drive intrinsic motivation. What worked is meeting people where they are.  In some areas, team members are becoming more personally committed to DEI -- and we aim to expand this success. What didn't work was instances when DEI became a list of tasks for people to check off as a compliance exercise. Instead, when we inspire people to be imaginative and empathetic, that's when we get truly innovative ideas to make our company and industry more inclusive.

Another example of what’s working is our experience around ERGs. We are now pairing ERGs directly with C-Suite leaders and, going forward, every ERG will have C-Suite sponsorship. ERG Leads also access training from our L&D team, including career readiness and leadership development. We want to support ERGs to help them make a positive impact in their respective communities, and enable them to support our business.  Our Council Team — which provides a powerful storytelling forum where participants listen to and connect with each other — supports direct connection between Leadership and ERGs. This helps ERGs amplify their leadership impact, while inspiring empathy within Snap’s top leadership team for communities that may be underrepresented at Snap. Looking at what we could have done better, we could have benefitted from developing more individual relationships between our leaders and our ERGs earlier in our DEI journey.