Former employee sues Google for "extreme" discrimination against male employees
What's the story
A former Google employee, fired by the tech giant in August, is suing the company over its alleged discrimination against white men. The employee, software engineer James Damore, had made headlines with his internal "anti-diversity" memo that made controversial claims, one among them being gender gap is a result of biological inferiority. He is joined by another plaintiff, former Google engineer David Gudeman.
Memo
The internal memo that went viral in August
In August, an internal 10-page memo by Damore called "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber" went viral. He argued women aren't suited for top-tier tech jobs or leadership positions due to their inherent biological and physiological differences. Attempts to bridge this gender gap are futile and Google's diversity initiatives are unnecessary expenditures, he remarks. Needless to say, most of his statements had no scientific basis.
Action
Google's CEO, diversity head issue quick responses, Damore fired
In response, Google's diversity head Danielle Brown issued a memo of her own, saying Damore's viewpoint isn't endorsed or encouraged by Google. CEO Sundar Pichai said that "much of what was in that memo is fair to debate", but "to suggest a group of colleagues have traits that make them less biologically-suited to work is offensive and not OK". Not long after, Google fired Damore.
Allegations
Damore alleges conservative employees "blacklisted", males "booed", hiring gender-based
Damore has now alleged that Google "goes to extreme lengths" to ensure race/gender are taken into priority while hiring. "Not only was the numerical presence of women celebrated solely due to their gender, but presence of Caucasians and males was mocked with "boos" during weekly meetings." The lawsuit claims Google endorses "blacklists"- lists of conservative employees who are prevented from receiving certain benefits.
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On the other end: Lawsuit claims Google pays women less
Ironically, Google is currently facing another lawsuit by three former female employees, who allege that women are paid less than their male counterparts. Similar claims have been reported by The New York Times as well as the US Department of Labor.