In Silicon Valley, Apple Loses Early Round In Case By Indian Engineer

The woman's case in California state court is the latest to allege workplace bias in Silicon Valley that focuses on cultural prejudices of some tech workers from South Asia.

Apple Inc. lost an early round in a discrimination lawsuit brought in the US by a female engineer from India who says her two managers -- one from her country, the other from Pakistan -- treated her as they would in their own countries: as a subservient. The woman's case in California state court is the latest to allege workplace bias in Silicon Valley that focuses on cultural prejudices of some tech workers from South Asia. Cisco Systems Inc. is fighting a suit brought by California's civil rights agency alleging bias against a member of India's so-called lower castes, known as Dalits. Anita Nariani Schulze is part of the Sindhi minority -- she is Hindu, with ancestry in the Sindh region of what is now Pakistan. Her complaint alleges that her senior and direct managers, both male, consistently excluded her from meetings while inviting her male counterparts, criticized her, micromanaged her work, and deprived her of bonuses, despite positive performance evaluations and significant team contributions. Schulze claims the managers' animus reflects sexism, racism, religious bias and discrimination on the basis of national origin. The Sindhi Hindu nationality is "known for its technical acumen" and its gender equality, she says, which "exacerbated the managers' discriminatory treatment."