Communities as a Foundation for Workforce Sustainability

Cloudflare operates one of the world's largest networks, supporting roughly 25 million Internet properties with a workforce of about 1,900 employees. The company's stated ambition is to help build a better Internet, and it views diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as essential to that mission. The rationale is straightforward: diverse teams improve decision-making, drive innovation, and deliver stronger financial results.

The strategy for advancing DEI centers on cultivating communities, both internally among employees and externally with partner organizations. This approach recognizes that sustainable workforce development depends on connection, belonging, and shared purpose.

Internal Communities and Employee Resource Groups

Cloudflare supports more than 16 Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which extend beyond the standard workplace communities of direct teams, cross-functional partners, and new hire cohorts. The ERGs serve multiple purposes: fostering belonging, supporting career development, and contributing to an inclusive culture.

Some groups focus on traditionally underrepresented groups in tech, including Afroflare (Black and African diaspora), Latinflare, and Womenflare. Others address historically marginalized identities, such as Proudflare (LGBTQIA+) and Cloudflarents (parents and caregivers). Interest and affinity groups like Mindflare and Soberflare round out the roster.

Building Skills for Inclusive Communities

An inclusive culture, defined as one where everyone feels safe, welcome, and respected with a sense of belonging, requires deliberate skill development. Cloudflare has invested in several training programs to support this goal.

One early offering was Ally Skills training, which aimed to raise awareness of harmful behaviors and language while teaching practical ways to support those facing systemic oppression. As the management team completed the workshop, it became clear that these weren't niche ally skills but fundamental expectations for all employees. The program was reworked and renamed How We Work Together.

Cloudflare also partnered with Paradigm IQ and Included to create a three-part Unconscious Bias Education Program, combining eLearning with facilitated workshops. An additional resource, tEQuitable, provides employees with a confidential channel to raise concerns, access just-in-time learning, and receive advice from professional Ombuds. The platform also helps identify systemic workplace issues and offers actionable recommendations for culture improvement.

The Week On: Learning and Inclusion program emerged in response to the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Afroflare global leaders proposed using Juneteenth for a full day of deep learning from external experts on topics ranging from the history of race and racism to the psychological impact of racism on people of color. In 2021, the program expanded from a single day to a full week, covering antiracism keynotes, inclusive people management, and inclusive recruiting practices.

Accountability Through Goals and Behaviors

Skill-building alone is insufficient; Cloudflare emphasizes accountability through data analysis, goal setting, and objective measurement. Each year, the company sets company-wide diversity goals. For the past several years, individual goals for managers have included one focused on building a more diverse team and another on building an inclusive team culture.

Central to this accountability framework are the Cloudflare Capabilities, defined behaviors that the company rewards. These capabilities are screened during the interview process and used in performance and promotion conversations. The company applies a simple formula: performance equals results plus behaviors, equally weighted.

Hiring and Recruiting with a Diversity Focus

Cloudflare's job descriptions reflect a commitment to unconventional paths into tech, frequently noting: "We realize people do not fit into neat boxes. We are looking for curious and empathetic individuals who are committed to developing themselves and learning new skills, and we are ready to help you do that. We cannot complete our mission without building a diverse and inclusive team."

The hiring process includes interviews specifically dedicated to fit against the Capabilities. Technology and tools are leveraged to identify talent that increases team diversity.

Recruiting efforts also include external partnerships. In August 2016, Cloudflare was among the first companies to partner with Path Forward when it launched in California. A similar partnership exists in Singapore with Mums@Work. The company also sponsors and participates in events like Lesbians Who Tech, Grace Hopper (where co-founder and COO Michelle Zatlyn delivered the 2020 keynote), AfroTech, Women Who Code, Girls Who Code, TAPIA, and NSN.

External Community Engagement

Cloudflare's community focus extends beyond its walls. Before the pandemic, offices regularly hosted external organizations. Wu Yee Children's Services, a San Francisco Chinatown-based nonprofit supporting affordable childcare and payment assistance for low-income families, held orientation sessions at Cloudflare. Women Who Code SF conducted regular algorithm and interview prep workshops on site.

Notably, Cloudflare did not offer five-day-a-week free lunch, a deliberate choice to encourage employees to support local businesses and restaurants. The company also dedicated one week annually to volunteer efforts, coordinated across large office locations. COVID shifted participation to virtual, with plans to return to in-person giving when possible.

Leveraging Products for Public Good

Beyond events and partnerships, Cloudflare applies its core products to support vulnerable communities. Several programs highlight this approach.

Project Galileo

Since 2014, Project Galileo has provided free cybersecurity protection to organizations in the arts, human rights, civil society, journalism, and democracy sectors. Eligible groups include minority rights organizations, independent media outlets, and voter protection programs. Through this project, Cloudflare has donated approximately $8 million in cybersecurity tools since 2017.

A notable partnership under Project Galileo is with The Trevor Project, founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award-winning short film TREVOR. The organization provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ young people under 25. Cloudflare supports it through monetary donations, collaboration with the Proudflare ERG, and free services via Project Galileo.

Athenian Project

Launched in 2017, the Athenian Project provides Cloudflare's highest level of cybersecurity services for free to U.S. state and local governments running elections. The focus is protecting websites related to voting information, polling places, voter registration, and election results.

During the 2020 U.S. election, Cloudflare worked with civil society and government agencies to share threat intelligence, protecting more than 292 websites across 30 states, including the Missouri Secretary of State, California's Solano County, and the Colorado Department of State.

Recognizing election security as a global issue, Cloudflare recently announced partnerships with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, National Democratic Institute, and International Republican Institute to extend protections to election management bodies worldwide.

Project Fair Shot

As governments, hospitals, and pharmacies struggled with COVID-19 vaccine distribution — with registration sites crashing under demand — Cloudflare offered its Waiting Room feature. This tool allows organizations to queue individuals and allocate access without requiring code changes to existing websites.

Under Project Fair Shot, Waiting Room is provided free to any government agency, hospital, pharmacy, or organization facilitating COVID-19 vaccine distribution until at least 31 December 2021, or until everyone who wants vaccination can receive it. Beneficiaries include the County of San Luis Obispo, Verto Health, and the Ministry of Health for the Republic of Latvia.

Publishing Diversity Data

Cloudflare's decision to publicly share its diversity data aligns with its stated values of being principled, curious, and transparent. The company believes fairness and equity are the right things to do, values learning from its own experiments and those of others, and accepts accountability by making its diversity metrics public.

For years, diversity data and goals were shared internally with regular progress measurement. Public release represents a commitment to building a diverse and sustainable workforce. While the work continues, the company maintains an optimistic outlook on building a better, more inclusive Internet.