Apple offers app development camp with quotas for Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous people

Apple is offering several free, multi-day entrepreneurship camps to help improve participants' apps. However, to apply, your company’s main leadership or software development representative must be black, Hispanic, Indigenous, or female — unless you are a male who identifies as a woman.  

According to the entrepreneurship camp website, those awarded admission to the camp will receive “one-on-one code-level guidance from Apple engineers,” a free year-long membership to the Apple Developer Program, support from Apple Developers and access to a “world-class group of inspiring ambitious leaders.” 

As Apple states in its “How to apply” page for this year’s camps, they are split into three groups. The first, titled “Underrepresented founders,” runs at the end of October; the second, “Female founders and underrepresented founders,” runs mid-November; and the final camp, “Female founders” runs in December. 

To qualify as an applicant in the underrepresented founders camp, “Your organization must have a Black, Hispanic/Latinx, or Indigenous founder, cofounder, or CEO; A Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous, or female* developer proficient in Swift or Objective-C;” and a functioning app. Apple, however, allows for organizations to apply if the male leader identifies as women, noting with the asterisk by “female*” that, “Apple believes that gender expression is a fundamental right. We welcome all women to apply.” 

To apply to the female* founders camp, “Your organization must have: a female founder, cofounder, or CEO; a female developer proficient in Swift or Objective-C;” and a functioning app.

On X, users have questioned whether Apple prohibiting certain sexes or races from applying to the camp is legal, referencing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. If Apple’s underrepresented founders camp and “female*” founders camp is considered a form of training or educational opportunity, prohibiting certain organizations led by certain races from applying may be in violation of the law.

In addition to potentially being considered an educational opportunity and form of training, Apple’s camp is connected to career opportunities and future employment as it offers participants the chance to “collaborate one-on-one with Apple engineers and experts who will offer valuable critiques and recommendations to elevate your app.” 

Prohibiting certain organizations from applying based on the race of its leaders could classify as a refusal “to hire or discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual” on the basis of their “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin,” per the 1964 Civil Rights Act.