How India’s Caste System Influences Engineers in Silicon Valley

Benjamin Kaila, a Dalit database administrator who moved to the U.S. from India in 1999, often fears being interviewed by fellow Indians when applying for tech jobs. This is because of the caste-based bias he has regularly faced, a prejudice not usually acknowledged in Silicon Valley’s diversity discussions.

While Silicon Valley is known for underrepresentation of Black and Latino workers, another hidden issue persists — caste discrimination among Indians in tech. Dalit engineers report being routinely passed over during hiring, subjected to inappropriate personal questions, and experiencing bias in peer reviews and promotions. Many say tech companies are unequipped to address caste bias and do not explicitly ban it.

Reports of caste-based harassment gained prominence after a lawsuit was filed by California against Cisco for discriminating against a Dalit engineer. This case sparked hundreds of similar complaints from employees at major companies like Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. A group of 30 female Dalit engineers detailed their experiences facing insults, exclusion from career opportunities, and unjust assumptions regarding their competence.

Despite the presence of popular Indian-origin CEOs, including those from dominant castes, Dalit workers say their struggles remain largely ignored. Tech firms like Microsoft, Apple, and Google claim to prohibit any form of discrimination, but Dalits say enforcement is lacking. Many report being identified as lower caste based on questions about diet, religion, or background, despite the U.S. context.

With the Cisco case ongoing, Dalits and their allies hope for legal recognition of caste as a protected category in the U.S., aiming to establish safer workplaces in the tech sector and beyond. They urge corporate America to take caste bias seriously and work towards truly inclusive environments.

Dalit, caste discrimination, Silicon Valley, tech industry, Cisco lawsuit