Michelle Obama to Silicon Valley: ‘Make room’ for women

Former first lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday urged tech companies in Silicon Valley to “make room” for more women in their ranks as the industry struggles to overcome its diversity problems..

“Girls walk away from tech and science,” Obama said in San Jose, Calif., according to CNN. “There’s something about how this subject is being taught.”

“You guys are smarter than that,” Obama told listeners at WWDC, Apple’s annual developer conference. “You’re better than that, let’s figure it out.”

{mosads}“We have to want to. And that’s where I look to the fellas in the room and say, ‘Are you ready? Are you really ready to have women at the table? Then make room.”

Obama urged entrepreneurs not to underestimate the influence they can have over their communities and families.

“Too many of us want to be big influencers,” she said. “But we don’t want to confront our own families on stuff [we] care about.”

“Don’t underestimate the value of what you can do in your own communities.”