Google fires engineer over diversity memo
Tech giant says letter promoted harmful stereotypes, engineer says he’s exploring legal options
Google triggered a social media backlash with the firing of an employee who had blasted the company’s diversity policies, fuelling tension over an issue roiling Silicon Valley.
The dismissal of James Damore, a Google engineer, came after he wrote a 10-page manifesto criticizing what he deemed a left-leaning culture at Alphabet Inc.’s web division that he said ignores the differences between the sexes. In an email confirming his firing, Damore said he’s “currently exploring all possible legal remedies.”
Some right-wing websites lionized Damore and accused the company of censoring conservative views. Firing the engineer could be seen as confirming some of the claims in the memo itself — that the company’s culture makes no room for dissenting political opinions.
That outcome could galvanize any backlash against Alphabet’s ongoing efforts to make its workforce more diverse.
The imbroglio at Google is the latest in a long string of incidents concerning gender bias and diversity in the tech enclave.
Uber chief executive officer Travis Kalanick lost his job in June amid scandals over sexual harassment, discrimination and an aggressive culture. Ellen Pao’s gender discrimination lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in 2015 also brought the issue to light, and more women are speaking up to say they’ve been sidelined in the maledominated industry, especially in engineering roles.
In Canada, increasing the number of women in managerial positions especially in science, technology, engineering and math could add as much as $150 billion to annual GDP by 2026, according to a report in June by the McKinsey Global Institute.
Statistics Canada data show women made up 27 per cent of the national information and communication technology workforce in 2016, a percentage that has hovered between 25 and 29 per cent since 2011. Women hold only 21per cent of management positions in the sector, says a study released by Canadian Women in Communications and Technology.
That organization’s executive director, Joanne Stanley, said the “climate is improving,” however, citing the commitment of the federal Liberals to gender diversity and “enlightened” companies in areas such as financial technology.
“There is more empathy, more understanding,” added Steph Guthrie, a consultant who worked with online hub Techgirls Canada on a guidebook that helps small-to-mediumsized businesses take steps toward diversifying their workplaces.
Still, she said the views espoused in the Google memo are not unique, noting that women in tech workplaces in Canada can face isolation, a lack of female mentors and the absence of a path to advancement, with some regarded by some male peers as merely “diversity hires.”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai, meanwhile, sent a note to employees Mon- day that said portions of the Damore memo “violate our Code of Conduct and cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace, ” a note that was retweeted by Google Canada.
But he didn’t say if the company was taking action against the employee. Damore’s memorandum argued that biological differences play a role in the shortage of women in tech and leadership positions. It circulated widely inside the company and became public over the weekend, causing a furor that amplified the pressure on Google executives to take a more definitive stand.
After the controversy swelled, Danielle Brown, Google’s new vicepresident for diversity, integrity and governance, sent a statement to staff condemning Damore’s views and reaffirmed the company’s stance on diversity.
“We are unequivocal in our belief that diversity and inclusion are critical to our success as a company,” Brown said in the statement. “We’ll continue to stand for that and be committed to it for the long haul.”
The memo and surrounding debate comes as Google fends off a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Labor alleging the company systemically discriminates against women. Google has denied the charges, arguing that it doesn’t have a gender gap in pay, but has declined to share full salary information with the government.
According to the company’s most recent demographic report, 69 per cent of its workforce and 80 per cent of its technical staff are male.
Reaction to Damore’s firing in conservative circles was swift and harsh. One meme doing the rounds online reworked Google’s famous logo to read “Goolag,” a reference to Sovietera forced-labour camps.
Breitbart accompanied a news article of his dismissal with a photograph of a woman wearing a gag with the word “silenced” written on it. With files from Star staff