Ask HN: Encountering implicit and explicit bias during job hunt and interviews

This is a very sensitive topic (hence the throwaway) and one I wish I did not have any first hand experience with but here we are. I recently started looking for a new job and in the process started talking to an acquaintance that happens to be a very senior person at a well known company about possibly working for them. What transpired has me in awe and disgust. This person openly admitted to hiring only from their racial and cultural background (a background I share and undoubtedly why they felt comfortable sharing this nugget with me). I should admit that my anecdotal evidence may not amount to any real indication of widespread prevalence of such behavior but this led me to wonder, are there stories like this that should come to light so that people like this can be held to account and hiring anomalies and clusters of university (opposite of diversity?) flagged/monitored by their managers or hr departments?

What I am asking is, can you could share data regarding preferential or detrimental treatment of candidates based on racial, ethnic, religious, sexual, cultural or any other basis if you have first hand knowledge or have experienced this phenomenon as a candidate.

p.s. I should probably mention that I have severed all ties with this person.