Wells Fargo’s $100,000 Hiring Pledge Used Fake Interviews For Optics, Not Real Equity

Wells Fargo’s settlement over its diversity hiring scandal reveals how corporate promises of inclusion can mask deeply harmful and deceptive practices—especially for Black people and other marginalized communities seeking real opportunities. In 2022, The New York Times exposed that Wells Fargo was conducting “fake interviews” with “diverse” candidates for positions that had already been filled. 

Joe Bruno, a former executive, called the practice “inappropriate, morally wrong, ethically wrong,” before being fired for speaking out. His termination showed the chilling message: that those who challenge discrimination can be punished while companies continue exploiting diversity language for public relations.

Other employees confirmed the truth behind Bruno’s claims. According to The New York Times, managers instructed staff to interview diverse applicants solely to “pass diversity audits,” not to actually hire anyone. This deliberate deceit turned the hopes of qualified Black and Brown applicants into corporate window dressing—a betrayal that reduced people’s aspirations to quotas on a spreadsheet. 

Wells Fargo’s so-called diversity policy, introduced in 2020, required diverse candidates for jobs paying over $100,000, but insiders said the process was performative. For many, it was never about equity—it was about optics.

The lawsuit, filed by SEB Investment Management AB, alleged that from February 2021 to June 2022, Wells Fargo misled investors and the public about its commitment to fair hiring. Plaintiffs argued that the interviews were “performative,” and that the company’s public image of inclusion was a lie. The bank denied wrongdoing, claiming, “We believe the claims were without merit. Wells Fargo does not tolerate discrimination in any part of our business.” Yet its attempt to dismiss the case was rejected by a California federal court, which forced the company to face accountability.

Link: AfroTech