Ad sought ‘non Asian’ applicants for tech job in California. Company blames mixup

A woman checking online job listings in California couldn’t believe it when she read one calling for “non Asian” applicants.

“My girlfriend found it and was so shocked and she sent it to me,” Stephen Li told KGO. He posted about the ad on LinkedIn from Aptude for a Menlo Park data analyst job. “I definitely wasn’t going to let it go unnoticed.”

The ad seeks someone familiar with several programming languages who is “non asian” and has “no visa issue” for the position, The Mercury News reported.

Aptude is an information technology consulting firm based in Illinois that fills positions all over the world, according to its LinkedIn profile.

In a statement, Aptude says it deeply regrets the ad, which has been removed, and notes the company’s diverse leadership opposes discrimination, KGO reported.

“Our investigation revealed that misunderstood communication was posted by an individual with no conceivable discriminatory intent,” the statement reads, according to The Mercury News. The company says it has taken steps to ensure the problem does not recur.

LinkedIn, where the ad appeared, has apologized, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

This story was originally published February 14, 2021 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Ad sought ‘non Asian’ applicants for tech job in California. Company blames mixup."