The tech industry has long grappled with problems tied to diversity and inclusion, but a job listing this month seeking “preferably Caucasian” applicants has proved a particularly egregious example.

A job listing from Cynet Systems, a tech recruiting firm based in Virginia, sought an account manager who is “preferably Caucasian who has good technical background”. After a number of Twitter users called attention to the listing, it was removed on Sunday.

It’s unclear how long the help wanted ad, posted on LinkedIn and other sites, was live before the company removed it. Cynet Systems issued an apology, saying individuals involved had been fired and the job post “does not reflect our core values of inclusivity & equality”.

“We understand why some may have been upset seeing this listing, because we were, too,” the company’s co-CEO, Ashwani Mayur, said.

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The listing discouraging applications from other races was for a job based in Tampa, Florida, with an unspecified pharmaceutical company. However, it is not the only listing that has been criticized for discriminatory practices. Another listing from Cynet Systems, for an account manager at a firm in Virginia, asked for a “female candidate only”.

The listing appears to have been deleted or modified; the company did not respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press. A Cynet Systems statement issued on Monday said the company had a longstanding policy of turning down clients requesting candidates of a specific race or gender.

“We are also looking at measures that could help us catch offensive or outside-of-policy ads before they ever go live to ensure this can’t happen again,” Mayur said. He noted that he and the other company owner are both Indian-American, and that his company’s workforce is 60% minority.

Mayur also said his company is reviewing all of its job postings “to ensure no similar issues exist”. A LinkedIn spokeswoman said the ad was taken down as soon as it was discovered and that such postings are highly unusual.

“Discrimination of any kind is against our policies and we have no tolerance for it on our platform,” the company said in a statement. “We have dedicated teams and technical measures in place to identify content that violates our policies; they took quick action to remove the job posting.”

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State employment and labor officials directed questions to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which did not immediately return an email seeking comment on Monday.

Cynet Systems is a relatively small firm, but diversity problems are pervasive throughout the tech industry. Google employs more than 100,000 workers, according to its financial filings on Monday; 69% of them are men and just 2% are African American. Just 20% of technical jobs at Google are held by women. Women and non-white workers are consistently paid less at tech firms across the industry, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and tech has some of the highest wage disparities in the US.

The Associated Press contributed reporting