[gentle music]
♪ ♪
[relaxed music]
[camera shutters clicking]
[indistinct chatter]
[elevator dings]
- Hey.
First of all, whoa.
Secondly, why didn't you tell me?
- I did--I did try to tell you.
I called you right after
Danny Michael Davis dropped this on me.
You weren't really listening. - I thought I was listening.
You said that there was a problem with the Chirp,
so I assumed that it was a coding issue, not a...
that issue.
- Well, when a Black employee tells you
that a tech device is having trouble
recognizing people of color,
I think you'd be able to put two and two together.
- You are right. Uh...
Right, I'm sorry.
I was so focused on coming up with a solution,
I wasn't hearing what was behind the problem.
- Well, now you know,
and now I need to process the fact
that I just publicly called out my own company
as its spokesperson
to every major news media outlet
in Silicon Valley.
[sighs] [elevator dings]
♪ ♪
- And then Simon was like,
"The Chirp doesn't recognize Black people
because Sprqpoint doesn't recognize Black people."
- Honestly, I am proud of him.
Also, I'm here for this tea that you are spilling
which makes me want my man, Earl Grey.
And a man.
A tall man.
- You deserve it.
- Wow, you know, it really takes guts
speaking truth to power like that.
- Yeah, I'm proud of him.
Although I do feel like a little bit of an idiot
because he did try to tell me
there was more to the problem with The Chirp,
and I just wasn't hearing him. [sighs]
The PSA is right, you know? Don't do drugs.
- Wait, you did drugs?
- And I may or may not have
done them with the CEO of Sprqpoint.
- Danny Michael Davis gave you drugs?
- Actually, I gave him drugs. [cell phone buzzes]
Don't ask.
And now he texts me all the time.
He thinks we're besties.
Oh, he's texting me right this second!
He's spiraling so bad about Simon's press conference,
he just bought a private jet
for the African Children's Choir.
- Oh, boy. - Honestly, Max,
we should hit him up to invest in the company.
I mean, there's no one easier to shake down
than a well-intended billionaire
with white guilt. - I don't know.
Do we really want to start our company with guilt money?
- Mm, it's better than no money.
Last time I checked, we didn't have a plethora of options.
- It's not a terrible idea.
He's clearly in the donating mood,
and I would say that your business
pretty much embodies everything he's feeling guilty about.
- How could he refuse us?
Honestly, I dare him to refuse us.
- Come on, we can't pitch the founder
of one of the largest tech companies in the world
our scrappy little spin on dining out.
[notification swoops] - Ah, but you can, mm-hmm.
You guys are on Danny's calendar tomorrow
from 11:12 to 11:17. - Are you serious? What?
That was fast.
- Ah, sweet, sweet secondhand privilege.
- I told you we're besties.
- Okay, yeah, we can do this in only five minutes.
- Honey, we can do anything in any amount of minutes.
We just need to get that rich man to listen to us.
- Listen.
You're right.
That's exactly what I need to start doing more of.
Listening.
[upbeat music]
Hey, hey.
I thought a lot about what you said,
and I know that I can't change all of Sprqpoint,
but I can try and help make things better
on the fourth floor.
So instead of waiting for the higher-ups to do something,
I came up with my own great plan.
Town hall
where participation is not mandatory--
- But strongly encouraged.
Yeah, I got your Slack messages
and your barrage of Insta Stories.
Um, are you sure this is the best approach?
- You rightly pointed out that I wasn't listening...
- Mm-hmm.
- So we are going to listen
for as long as it takes.
Good morning, everyone!
Thanks to Simon's
brave call to action yesterday,
I organized this town hall
to talk about our honest feelings
about race at work.
And with that,
I open the floor
to anyone who would like to speak first.
Don't be shy.
- Um, I often find
that it helps to have a talisman
to encourage the flow of conversation.
So, um, does anyone have, like, a conch?
Okay, yeah.
A Koosh. This will work.
Um, personally,
I have been doing a lot of soul-searching
about whether or not my own biases
have contributed to the problems
with the coding for the Chirp.
I often wonder, "What would Waswa think?"
He was my Ugandan roommate in college,
and we were really close.
Some say like brothers.
And he even taught me
how to say "I love you" in his native tongue.
Ninkukunda munonga.
I yield the space.
- Um...
racism's wack, yo.
[laughter]
Sorry.
- Pass.
- I think you all know how I feel about this.
I was the only one
who took a knee at the company softball game.
- My stepdad's Black.
Well, they're divorced now,
so I guess he's not my stepdad anymore,
but he's still Black.
[quirky music]
- Another color we should be talking about right now
is green
and how to make our workspace more ecofriendly.
My partner and I, we just started composting.
He's Filipino, by the way.
Well, I should say fiancé.
We're getting married in the summer!
[applause]
[rhythmic clapping]
[Michael Kiwanuka's "Black Man in a White World"]
- ♪ I've been low, and I've been high ♪
♪ I've been sold ♪
♪ All my lies ♪
♪ I've got nothing ♪
♪ Left to play ♪
♪ I've got nothing ♪
♪ Left to say ♪
♪ I'm a Black man in a white world ♪
♪ I'm a Black man in a white ♪
♪ I'm in love ♪ chorus: ♪ Love ♪
- ♪ But I'm still sad ♪
♪ I found peace ♪
♪ But I'm not glad ♪
♪ All my nights ♪ chorus: ♪ Nights ♪
- ♪ And all my days ♪
♪ I've been trying ♪
♪ To run away ♪
♪ Ooh ♪ chorus: ♪ Whoa! ♪
- ♪ I'm a Black man in a white world ♪
♪ I'm a Black man in a white world ♪
♪ I'm a Black man in a white ♪
♪ I feel like I've ♪
♪ Been here before ♪
♪ I feel that knocking ♪
♪ On my door ♪
♪ I feel like I've ♪
♪ Been here before ♪
♪ I feel that knocking ♪
♪ On my door ♪
♪ And I lost everything I had ♪
♪ But I'm not angry ♪
♪ And I'm not mad ♪
chorus: ♪ Whoa ♪
- ♪ I'm a Black man in a white world ♪
♪ I'm a Black man in a white world ♪
[applause]
- And my bridal party
looks like a rainbow.
- Okay.
Uh, thank you
for sharing your thoughts, Amanda.
So, um,
Simon...
I was wondering if there's anything
you would maybe like to add.
- I'd rather not.
Excuse me.
[percussive music]
♪ ♪
- Good talk.
Guys, you can all go back to work.
Thank you for your insight.
[indistinct chatter]
Wow.
I really don't know...
[rock music]
- Hey.
So, uh...
that obviously didn't go as I envisioned,
but I meant well.
Just tell me what I can do. I wanna help.
- Honestly, Zoey, right now I'm more concerned
about the reaction to my press conference.
I haven't heard anything from Danny Michael Davis,
and that concerns me.
- Oh, well, maybe he doesn't know what to say.
No news is good news, right?
- I don't think that's it this time.
- Mm.
Um, okay, is there anything else I can do?
- No.
I need to get out of here for a bit.
I'm gonna grab lunch with Tatiana.
We'll talk later.
[elevator dings]
[soft ding]
- "Hi, Simon,
"comma,
"I am so sorry
"about that town hall.
"I was really just trying
"to get us to face race
in a safe space, so--"
dear God, why am I rhyming? [phone dinging]
"Hey, Simon..." "Hi, Simon..."
"Hey, Simon..."
"Hey, Simon, comma,
"I was thinking of other ways
"for you to express your feelings
"at Sprqpoint, period.
"Why don't we sit down,
"talk about the issues,
"uh...
and bring in special guests?"
Now I am pitching a podcast.
"Simon, colon,
"I am the worst, exclamation point.
"I shouldn't even be your boss.
"Ellipses, which is why I'm quitting the biz
and giving you my parking space."
Facepalm emoji.
[phone dings]
- Thank you for seeing us for these five minutes today.
- Three minutes. - Three minutes, okay.
We wanted to create a restaurant
that celebrates inclusivity
from the murals on the wall
to the entire LGBTQIAP community
that is our waitstaff.
- I'm glad you include IAP,
and I definitely know what that means.
- Another thing that makes our restaurant distinct
is that you can order from anywhere
with our proprietary tech--
- Yeah, yeah, I read the pitch deck.
Dig the concept, and I love the artwork.
- Ah.
- Reminds me of Kehinde Wiley. - Thank you.
- I commissioned him to paint my portrait,
but then I got bumped by Obama.
I let him use the canvas that Kehinde was gonna use for me,
so in a sense, it's our portrait.
- No, it's not.
- How about I just show you the tech?
As you can see on our homepage here,
you can scroll across for different cuisine types,
down for recommendations,
and you hit this tab
so you can schedule your arrival.
- [clears throat]
- Oh, that's weird.
Let me just override that to keep this going.
- Yucky.
Have you come up with a workaround for this glitch?
- Yeah, of course, I just haven't updated the code yet,
but I'm on it.
- Let's just cut to the chase.
What kind of investment are we talking about here?
$2 million? $5 million?
- Oh, no. 150.
- Million?
- Yes. - No, thousand.
- $150,000?
You got it.
- Oh, well, thank you, Danny...
Michael Davis.
We won't let you down. - Or you will.
Most restaurants fail.
Either way, I'm psyched for your journey.
- Mm. [cell phone dings]
- Oh, boy.
One of our board members
just choppered in for an emergency meeting.
Max, I wanna see an update on that glitch ASAP,
and feel free to take a phone on the way out.
[quirky music]
- See, Max, I told you we would do it.
We slayed. - Yeah, it's amazing.
Are you sure you want to take this money?
- Child, please, call it
the beginning of our reparations.
- Okay, all right, if you're all right with it, I am,
except I have no idea how to fix the glitch.
- And I know how to draw a 20-foot mural by myself?
No, I'm sure this building
is crawling with millions of nerds
that I don't invite to parties.
Ask one of them to help. - Okay.
All right. I'll take care of it.
- We need to talk.
- Oh, oh.
- You--chairs are still here.
- They are.
- So I just, uh...
just left a little meeting with some of the board,
and they were just requesting that Simon just...
[mimics squelch] You know?
Retract everything he expressed
at the press conference.
- Retract?
- He just needs to say that it was his opinion,
you know, and, um,
that, uh, just his opinion alone
and doesn't represent the larger experience
of being an employee at Sprqpoint.
You know, so we don't get sued.
- That sounds...
- Yeah, yes, yes.
That is terrible, unfair,
hella dumb, but look, you know,
as a CEO, I gotta do stuff that's not easy sometimes,
and that forces me to have the tough conversations,
which is why I'm gonna have you do it.
- I'm sorry.
You want me to be one
to talk to Simon about this?
- Oh, great. Same page.
I feel so much better about this already.
- No, Danny, I don't think I should.
- Zoey, you are his supervisor,
and we both know it's gonna sound a lot better
coming from a mouth that isn't mine.
Oh, God.
Another board member's yacht just docked.
I gotta go meet Artemis down by the Wharf.
Somebody bring me my boat shoes and a Dramamine!
[quirky music]
- [sighs]
Hey, guys.
- Oh, snap.
Look what the cat dragged in.
- Who's this thirst trap?
- That's Max. He used to work at that desk.
He was the one who was secretly in love with Zoey,
but everyone knew it. - Okay.
A couple of you guys are "office hot,"
but I think he may be "real world hot."
- That's hurtful.
Everyone knows I'm a San Francisco seven.
- Hey, Max.
- Hey, Leif.
- Did you get any of my texts
or that Edible Arrangement I sent?
I just feel terrible about getting you fired.
- Weirdly, not as bad as I felt,
but it's all good now because I just got Danny Michael Davis
to fund my new concept,
and I wanted to run some tech stuff by Gabe.
Where is Gabe?
- Um, he got transferred to floor five.
- And Jared? - Also to five.
- Oh.
- Hey, um, do you wanna run it by us?
- You can sit right here, boo.
- I guess if you guys don't mind, sure.
- Yes. All right, cool.
- So, um, the scheduling tab isn't fully syncing
with all the food delivery apps.
- Okay.
Okay, yeah, I actually don't hate this.
Decent layout, sexy banner. Did you do all this yourself?
- Yeah, turns out when I'm not constantly
being judged by my peers,
I have a smidge of talent in this arena.
- Well, we can help you get this sorted out real quick.
- Uh...
- I mean, if you want us to.
- Still know how to use this little lady?
♪ ♪
- Hell yeah.
Let's do this.
[indistinct chatter]
♪ ♪
- Hey, Mo.
How's the pitch?
- Amazing.
Danny is going to invest in the business.
- That's great.
Um, actually,
I'm in a little bit of a pickle,
and I thought you'd be the perfect person
to talk to about this.
- Oh, darling, I get that. My voice is so soothing.
- Uh, Danny Michael Davis
told me that the board needs Simon
to retract everything he said at the press conference,
and he wants me to tell him,
and I don't want it to sound...
weird,
and I also want him to know that I have his back.
So how would you say it?
I mean, if you were me.
- I know you're not asking your Black friend
how to talk to your other Black friend.
- No.
I mean, yes, but I just--
I...um...
I thought that you could offer some guidance
since you're-- - Black?
- No.
Insightful?
[Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama"]
♪ ♪
- ♪ Mm ♪
♪ So tired ♪
♪ Tired of all this drama ♪
♪ ♪
♪ You go your way, I go my way ♪
♪ ♪
♪ I need to be free ♪
♪ Broken heart again ♪
♪ Another lesson learned ♪
♪ Better know your friends ♪
♪ Or else you will get burned ♪
♪ Gotta count on me ♪
♪ 'Cause I can guarantee ♪
♪ That I'll be fine ♪
♪ ♪
♪ No more... ♪ chorus: ♪ Pain ♪
- ♪ No more pain ♪
chorus: ♪ No more pain ♪
- ♪ No more pain ♪
chorus: ♪ No drama ♪
- ♪ No more drama in my life ♪
♪ No one's gonna ♪
♪ Make me hurt again ♪
♪ I don't wanna cry no more ♪
♪ Hey, no ♪
♪ I'm so tired of all the drama! ♪
chorus: ♪ No more drama ♪
- ♪ No! ♪
♪ No, no, never! ♪
♪ Drama ♪
chorus: ♪ No more drama ♪
- ♪ Yeah! ♪
♪ Aw, yeah! ♪
- ♪ I don't want it, I'm so tired ♪
♪ Of the drama ♪
♪ Go on, get out of my life ♪
♪ My life! ♪
♪ No more drama! ♪
♪ Aah ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Eee, yeah ♪
♪ My life! ♪
- Is there something you wanna say
that's on your mind?
- Look, Zoey, I love you,
but you rely far too much on me
to do your emotional heavy lifting,
and it's exhausting.
I mean, it's hard enough for me
to walk around this world as I am,
and, no, I'm not about to tell you
how to talk to your Black friend at work.
So go figure that out on your own.
- You are right,
and I know Simon,
so I can just be real with him,
and I am gonna go.
[percussive music]
The mural looks...
so good, by the way.
All of you, kudos.
♪ ♪
- Yo, Simon.
What's good, bro?
- Oh, hey, man. Pretty busy day.
Wish I had more time to chat, but--
- Oh, for sure.
Look, I just wanted say how dope it was
to see you speak out like that.
I feel you, bro.
- Do you?
'Cause you seemed to be really jokey about it
at the town hall.
- Oh, that.
Well, you know,
I'm not really, like, a "public forum" type of guy,
you know what I'm saying?
I'm more low-key, but low-key, I got your back.
- Uh-huh. - Hey.
There you are. Can we talk?
- Yeah, come on in.
Would you like to know if I received
your long, very wordy text?
Yes, and thank you.
- It was my 12th attempt.
It sucked.
So, uh...look.
[sighs]
It's really awkward being the boss sometimes,
but you're also my friend,
so, um...
I'm just gonna be real with you.
- Okay.
- The board wants you
to retract everything you said
at the press conference.
I know.
It's total BS,
but I'm just the messenger.
But the good news is,
you spoke out,
and you made people aware of what was happening,
and if you want,
I can even help you write a revised statement
so you still say something.
Um...
I just want you to know you're not alone in this.
- Okay, so if we're being real,
I don't feel like you're just the messenger,
and I do feel very alone in this.
- I'm on your side.
- It's impossible for you to be on my side in this situation,
and you cannot rewrite an experience
you know nothing about.
- I mean, I know a little, right?
- How?
- I'm a woman in the tech world!
I know what it's like to be...
- Yes,
but that has nothing to do
with who I am as a Black man in the world
and what my experience as a Black man is
in this office.
I never had any mentors
look out for me like Joan.
There's no room for messing up for me,
and I have to constantly prove why I deserve to be here.
"Nice office.
How'd you swing that?"
They don't ever ask that
to any of the other marketing execs.
- You're right. It's...
That's awful.
- Nah, it's the truth,
and I have to constantly
amputate parts of who I am
to make other people feel comfortable in my presence
so they feel safe,
so that when I walk on the elevator,
they--they aren't startled when they see me.
Do you even have to think about that?
- I mean...
if I'm being honest,
when I see you, I just see Simon.
- Simon is a Black man.
You seeing me as only Simon
denies a fundamental part of...
Who I am.
And you asking me
to walk back my words, Zoey,
is telling me to deny that fundamental part of who I am.
[somber music]
♪ ♪
And whether you're doing that as my boss or my friend,
that makes you part of the problem.
So, um, to answer your question,
no, I will not be retracting anything that I said.
♪ ♪
Period.
[notifications swooping] - Hi, Danny.
- So many fires, Zoey. So many fires.
Why'd you tell me not to quit again?
- Because you're the leader of this company,
and you have to do better.
- Oh, we will. [beeps, dings]
Once we show the world our patented Sprq Pants technology,
our stock prices will--
- That's not what I'm talking about.
Can you put away the phone and the tablet
and the laptop?
- Fine. - For a second. Please.
[smartwatch buzzing]
- Don't look at your watch either.
Don't.
I spoke with Simon,
and he's not going to revise his statement.
I don't blame him, because the truth is,
I feel like we're part of the problem,
and he told me he has felt slighted
and alienated here for a long time, and...
I can't believe I've been so oblivious.
- Well, the first step towards growth is awareness,
so good on you.
Aiden taught me that.
- This is about you, too,
'cause you're the head of this company.
- Oh, I'm sorry, did I invent racism?
Or insider trading?
Or trying to create a monopoly?
Or selling thousands of shares of a company
'cause I knew it was gonna go down?
I mean, now I'm being accused of discrimination?
Let's not forget, Zoey,
I am a philanthropist.
[whispers] I have a foundation.
- And I'm sure that it does really important work,
but there is a problem
right here at Sprqpoint,
and I think it wouldn't hurt
for both of us to look at our role in that.
- See, my therapist actually advised me
not to look inwards anymore.
- I just think that Simon feels very alone right now,
and the best thing for us to do
would be to stop asking him to retract his feelings
and instead-- - Zoey.
I can't just march into a board meeting
and say, "Oh, one guy's unhappy,
so we need to change our whole company."
That's not how things work.
- Well, maybe it's time for things
to start working differently, then.
I will leave you with that.
I have to get back to work.
- I have to go back to work here in my office.
♪ ♪
Great, you know what? 87 new messages.
[notification dings] 88.
[notification dings] No, 89.
- Is it the redirects?
- Checked that already, Hot Topic.
- What about the database?
- Covered that an hour ago, Big Bird.
- Man, what are we missing?
- Quality alone time?
- Max, what are you doing here?
- Well, I don't mean to distract the group,
but Danny told me to get some help
with a minor coding blip
after saying he was all in. - Mm.
Mo told me. Congrats.
- Thank you. - I like seeing you here.
It almost makes me not wanna go hide in an isolation pod.
- I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it.
You're making all the API requests at the same time,
so what if we do a sync process and cache the results?
- Hold on a second. That might actually work.
You know, I never thought I'd say this,
but thank you, Tobin.
- It's a good thing we outsourced it to Slumdog.
[laughter] all: Oh!
- Hey, hey, hey, hey.
When Max's company goes public and I got stock options,
you'll all be calling me Slumdog Tobillionaire.
[laughter]
[Smokey Robinson and The Miracles'
"Tracks of My Tears"]
♪ ♪
- ♪ People say ♪
♪ I'm the life of the party ♪
♪ 'Cause I tell a joke or two ♪
♪ Although I might be laughing ♪
♪ Loud and hearty ♪
♪ Deep inside I'm blue ♪
♪ So take a good look ♪
♪ At my face ♪
♪ You'll see smile looks ♪
♪ Out of place ♪
♪ If you look closer ♪
♪ It's easy to trace ♪
♪ The tracks of my tears ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Baby, take a good look ♪
♪ At my face ♪
♪ You'll see my smile ♪
♪ Looks out of place ♪
♪ Yeah, just look closer ♪
♪ It's easy to trace ♪
♪ The tracks of my tears ♪
♪ ♪
♪ The tracks of my tears ♪
♪ ♪
- Tobin.
Can we chat for a sec?
- Uh-oh, pray for me, everybody.
[laughter]
- Hey, I just wanna say thank you
for helping me today.
It feels great to be around like minds again.
I forgot how much I missed the comradery,
and Mackenzie,
I feel both flattered and objectified.
Anyway, I'm gonna add a special Sprqpoint discount
for you all to use anytime you want.
Except for you, Leif. You have to pay full price.
- Hey, if this is about the burn spot on the ceiling,
it I was a trick I saw Criss Angel do,
and Mackenzie dared me, so I had to.
- What? Really?
Where?
I really just wanted to, um,
check in, see how you're doing.
- Obviously, you saw me crushing it out there,
so doing great.
- Yeah, that was amazing.
Um, what I mean is, um...
How do you feel about Simon's press conference
and everything he said?
Did that stir up anything
particular for you?
- Yeah, it made me think of all the tough questions:
racial equality, corporate bias,
why does Simon look so damn good in a suit?
- I just, um,
I feel like...
you might be kind of hurt or upset.
I mean, it must be tough
making yourself the butt of the joke.
- Not really.
I mean, most humor comes from personal experience.
At least that's what me and Dave Chappelle believe.
- Okay, but is it worth it?
I mean, putting yourself out there all the time
for other people's amusement. I just...
I feel like you're really good at deflecting.
- Okay, well, thank you for the analysis, Dr. Clarke.
Uh, may I leave now?
- Okay.
- You wanna know why I make jokes all the time?
It's because I'm a first-gen. It's how I fit in.
It's how I've always fit in
because I don't really fit in anywhere.
- Even here?
- At Sprqpoint? Are you kidding me?
You know how shocked people in other departments are
when they meet me and I don't have an accent
or I'm not the guy delivering their shawarma?
Happens all the time.
- No one should have to feel this way at work.
You should say something.
- To who? HR?
Danny Michael Davis? What am I gonna say?
"People are treating me like an Indian guy."
Guess what, Zoey. I'm an Indian guy.
- The company is asking Simon
to say that he's the only one who feels this way.
He clearly isn't.
You could help him.
You could help other people
that maybe feel similar as you and Simon.
- I respect Simon for speaking out, I do, I just...
[somber music]
I don't wanna stir the pot.
- Okay.
But what if-- - No.
If you need help with a coding glitch
or a charmingly offensive pun, I'm all over it,
but this...
I'm sorry, I can't.
♪ ♪
I'm sorry.
♪ ♪
- All right, so I know exactly how this goes.
If I don't retract my statement,
they'll slowly, methodically ice me out.
In a few months, there'll be a new head of PR.
My white bosses will give me a promotion
to some new job no one's ever heard of
where I'll have no opportunity to rise
and no voice, period.
- Mm.
I just had a vision of me without a voice.
I don't like it.
- Received. - Mm.
- [sighs]
Okay, so maybe I should
just retract everything I said.
Just keep my head down,
stack my checks.
I mean, who was I to think that I could change any of this?
- Listen to me. - [sighs]
- You are a gorgeous Black man...
With a big heart,
and you shouldn't have to put your head down anywhere,
and if you can't be your whole self there,
then they don't deserve you.
Do you hear me?
- Yeah.
You're right.
- So what you gonna do about it?
- Hey.
I don't want to interrupt, but I do want to apologize.
Clearly, I have blind spots,
and I'm embarrassed that you guys
had to be the ones to point that out,
so I just-- I'm really sorry.
Good night.
- Zoey, wait.
I decided that I...
I'm going in first thing tomorrow
and telling Danny that I quit.
- Okay.
- "Okay"? Wait, wait.
That's--that's it?
You're not gonna make some big speech
and tell me I shouldn't do it?
- No.
You have to do what feels right for you, and...
I support you.
[door clicks open]
[elevator dings]
[somber music]
♪ ♪
- Wow, this is crazy. - What?
Did another one of our products burst into flames?
- No, check this out.
♪ ♪
- Oh, my God.
[laughs]
I can't believe this.
- Are you gonna--
all right, I'll just grab my phone from you later.
[uplifting music]
♪ ♪
- Tobin, you did it.
You!
You spoke out!
- I did. Um, thank you.
- This is huge.
What changed your mind?
- I mean, I wasn't gonna say anything,
but I thought a lot about our convo,
and after a couple of "Queer Eye" episodes
and a Negroni nightcap, I was feeling pretty raw,
so I decided to just speak up, put it all out there,
consequences be damned,
but I had no idea the hashtag #BIPOCAtSprqpoint
was gonna blow up like that.
- I mean, there must be hundreds of posts in here.
- Including a few supportive Sprqpoint hotties
who slid into my DMs.
Happy accident. Not my intention.
- Wait.
Simon is in Danny Michael Davis's office quitting
because he thinks he's the only person at Sprqpoint
who feels this way.
They need to see this now.
- Totally.
Let me just respond to this DM really quick.
"I know, discrimination is the worst."
- Tobin.
- "Wanna grab coffee?" All right, let's go.
- One of my favorite-- - Simon, hold up!
- Okay, okay, take a breath.
You're sweating through your sweater.
- Okay, um, listen.
Tobin posted about his experience online,
and now there are literally hundreds of Sprqpoint employees
who are sharing their own stories.
- Not the way your boy expected to blow up online,
but I'll take it.
- And these stories aren't just from here.
They're from Sprqpoint offices all over the world.
London, Hong Kong, Reykjavik--
I didn't even know that we had an office in Reykjavik!
- Okay, sit down.
[sighs] First of all,
I'm right here, and you're screaming, kay?
Mm. Also, I have the internet too.
I saw the posts.
- Yeah, we've been going through them together.
- Oh.
Well, good!
I mean, this changes everything, right?
It's fantastic news.
I mean, terrible and deeply worrisome
that this even exists, but-- - Clearly I'm not alone here.
- No, that's true, and look,
I can't believe this all happened under my roofs.
But armed with these stories,
I'm going to walk into that board room,
and I'm going to demand
real and lasting changes around here,
because, damn it, that's what a hero does.
- Uh-uh, you're not the hero in this situation.
- You still got a lot of work to do, man.
- But the agenda
for today's board meeting
has officially been amended.
You guys just get the chills?
- Not even a little bit. - Not a bit.
- Maybe a little.
What?
- As you all know,
we're here to discuss
our course of action
based on the recent claims
made by our employee, Simon Haynes,
but it has come to my attention
that, um, I might not know
what the hell I'm talking about,
so I have invited
someone far more qualified to speak on this.
[somber music]
- [sighs]
Ladies and gentlemen of the board,
I--I would, indeed,
like to clarify my words from the other day
and get more specific about the racism
that exists within Sprqpoint,
and I'll also be revising my statement
and saying that it is not just my experience.
♪ ♪
A Black executive in New York
was working late one night
and was profiled at his own desk by a security guard,
a receptionist in London was let go and then told
it was because her locks looked unprofessional,
and here, in this very office,
an intern quit because her boss joked
that if she were to ever come in late,
he would call ICE.
See, we're not gonna be able to fix this problem
with just diversity committees,
workshops,
donating to a few places to help clear your conscious.
It's about changing the culture here.
It's about being inclusive in the rooms
where decisions are being made...
Including this one.
[Flo Rida's "My House"]
♪ ♪
- Hey, man, um...
I was reading some of your comments, uh,
and replies to people,
and I noticed you were talking
about white people who worked at Sprqpoint.
- Yeah.
- And, um, I just want to apologize
for any undo harm I might've caused
as a beneficiary of a society
that upholds the colonial power of white men--
- Leif, Leif, Leif, Leif, dude, we're good, we're good,
but, honestly, as your bro...
[sighs] You gotta dial it back
on all the virtue signaling stuff, man.
You're doing too much.
You know?
- Okay, yeah. Um...
Wow, you know, and even in discussing
my own internal biases, we're creating a dialogue.
- Seriously, stop it.
- Mm-hmm. I can hear it.
- Yeah.
- Do you wanna get a beer? - Yes!
- Okay, great. - Yes.
- I found a guy who sells it out of a vintage stagecoach.
- And we're back.
- I'm glad you like beer, 'cause I...
- ♪ We don't have to go out ♪
♪ ♪
- "A commitment to invest $50 million
"in Black-owned startups,
"equal representation in all leadership positions by 2025,
including the board." - Okay, you can stop there.
The rest is just a series of apologies.
- Wow, that press release went out fast.
Whatever you said to them,
it must've rocked them to the core.
- I mean, I hit them with a few body shots.
- Yeah, you did,
like a drunk white girl in Daytona.
♪ ♪
You don't know my past.
- Toast, everybody, toast. I wanna make a toast!
Max, get out the kitchen!
- Sorry, sorry, I was just putting together some TV stands
and a lazy Susan back there.
Guess who's not lazy. This guy.
- That's not the vibe.
Anyways, I wanted to throw this impromptu soiree
because when a friend does something amazing,
it should not go unrecognized.
This Black king walked into a room
full of powerful white people
where we often don't get a seat at the table
and told them what needed to be said and done.
all: Mm-hmm.
- And as Auntie Maxine Waters as my witness,
baby, they were shook. [laughter]
- Thank you, Mo,
thank you, everyone,
but it's not like we cured racism, right?
There's still a lot of work to do,
and they could change their minds tomorrow.
- Boy, if you don't hush
and take this as a win.
We have to celebrate the small victories,
so celebrate with us, and be joyous.
To Simon.
[Janelle Monáe's "Tightrope"]
♪ ♪
- ♪ Some people talk about ya like they know all about ya ♪
♪ When they get down, they doubt ya ♪
♪ And when you tip it on the scene ♪
♪ Yeah, they talkin' 'bout it ♪
♪ 'Cause they can't tip on the scene ♪
♪ They just talkin' 'bout it, t-t-t-talkin' 'bout it ♪
♪ When you get elevated ♪
♪ They love it or they hate it ♪
♪ You dance up on them haters ♪
♪ Keep getting funky on the scene ♪
♪ While they jumpin' round ya ♪
♪ They trying to take all of your dreams ♪
♪ But you can't allow it ♪
- ♪ 'Cause, baby, whether you're high or low ♪
♪ Whether your high or low ♪
♪ You gotta tip on the tightrope ♪
all: ♪ Tip, tip on it ♪
- ♪ T-t-t-tip on the tightrope ♪
all: ♪ Tip, tip on it ♪
- ♪ Baby, baby, whether you're high or low ♪
all: ♪ High or low ♪
- ♪ Whether you're high or low ♪
all: ♪ High are low ♪
- ♪ You got to tip on the tightrope ♪
all: ♪ Tip, tip on it ♪
- ♪ Now let me see ya do the tightrope ♪
all: ♪ Tip, tip on it ♪
- ♪ And I'm still tippin' on it ♪
♪ See I'm not walkin' on it, or tryin' to run around it ♪
♪ This ain't no acrobatics ♪
♪ You either follow or you lead ♪
- ♪ Yeah, I'm talkin' 'bout ya ♪
♪ Keep on blaming the machine ♪
♪ Yeah, I'm talkin' 'bout it ♪
all: ♪ Then, baby, whether I'm high or low ♪
♪ Baby, whether you're high or low ♪
♪ You gotta tip on the tightrope ♪
- ♪ Tightrope! ♪
all: ♪ Yeah, tip on the tightrope ♪
- ♪ Tightrope! ♪
all: ♪ Baby, baby, whether you're high or low ♪
♪ Baby, whether you're high or low ♪
♪ You gotta tip on the tightrope ♪
♪ Baby, let me see you tightrope ♪
- ♪ Oh, you can't get too high ♪
all: ♪ We can't get too high ♪
- ♪ I said you can't get too low ♪
all: ♪ We can't get too low ♪
- ♪ 'Cause you get too high ♪ all: ♪ You can't get too high ♪
- ♪ No, you'll surely be low ♪
all: ♪ No you'll surely be low ♪
♪ One, two, three, ho! ♪
♪ ♪
To Simon! - [laughs]
[glasses clinking]
- Cheers. - Cheers.
[warm music]
♪ ♪
[sighs]
- So...
after everything that went down...
- Mm-hmm.
- How do you feel?
♪ ♪
- Relief.
♪ ♪
[upbeat percussive music]
♪ ♪