Anecdotally: I work in a field that is basically 100% white dudes. The one company I worked for that approached 50% not white dudes in that role... was by far the most competent team I worked with. To me, the lack of diversity seems obviously to having nothing to do with "meritocracy" and everything to do with networking and a lack of imagination by white dude hiring managers who have never had a friend who wasn't another white dude.
Anecdotally: I work in a field that is basically 100% white dudes. The one company I worked for that approached 50% not white dudes in that role... was by far the most competent team I worked with. To me, the lack of diversity seems obviously to having nothing to do with "meritocracy" and everything to do with networking and a lack of imagination by white dude hiring managers who have never had a friend who wasn't another white dude.