Apple CEO Tim Cook: 'The U.S. will lose its leadership in technology if this doesn't change'

Apple CEO Tim Cook believes that the gender imbalance at tech companies could hurt the American tech industry if more women don't enter science and engineering fields.

Cook discussed diversity, the issues facing gay people, and engineering education in an exclusive interview with the Auburn Plainsman's Corey Williams published on Thursday.

From the article:

Tim Cook is "disturbed, however, by gender disparities in science, technology, engineering and math careers. Not just at Auburn, but throughout the country.

'I think the U.S. will lose its leadership in technology if this doesn't change,' Cook said. 'Women are such an important part of the workforce. If STEM-related fields continue to have this low representation of women, then there just will not be enough innovation in the United States. That's just the simple fact of it.'"

Cook added that he believes job growth for engineers and scientists will "outpace all others by a fair amount for the foreseeable future."

According to Apple's annual diversity report, 32% of current Apple employees and 37% of new hires are women. However, only 23% of employees in technical roles are women.

Recently, some shareholders have put pressure on the company to do more to ensure more minorities are represented on Apple's board and among Apple's executives.

The entire interview over at the Auburn Plainsman is fantastic and worth a read.