The manifesto on anti-Diversity written by a Google employee made headlines over the weekend. The infamous document which went viral, both within and outside the company has earned both criticism and sympathy from Googlers and the online community.
The Google imbroglio
Recently, Google made headlines after one of its employees, engineer James Damore, published an article that blasted the web giant’s policy on diversity. Damore confirmed his dismissal, saying that he has been terminated under the grounds of promoting gender stereotypes.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the current scene is the latest event in the growing string of gender bias and diversity issues in Google.
Last June, Travis Kalanick, Uber Technologies Chief Executive Officer, was removed from his job due to issues on discrimination, aggressive culture, discrimination and sexual harassment scandals. In 2015, Google employee Ellen Pao filed a gender-discrimination lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. To date, the women of Google have mustered the courage to stand up against discriminations in the male-dominated industry.
No less than Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai personally sent notes to employees stressing that the memo was a glaring violate to the company’s Code of Conduct. The 10-page document written by one of its engineers raised accusations against Google over allegations of silencing conservative political opinions.
The manifesto further argued that biological differences is a key criteria that explains why there are only a few women holding tech and leadership positions. Damore’s memo became widely circulated in the company, and eventually went public. The online uproar pressured Google executives to issue a definitive stand.
Google VP condemns fired employee’s opinion on female workers
Following the controversy, Google's new vice president for diversity, integrity and governance, Danielle Brown, issued a statement condemning Damore's opinions. After issuing the statement to all Google employees, Brown reaffirmed the company’s standpoint on employee diversity.
Many employees back Google’s decision to fire the infamous author of the controversial manifesto. They stand behind the company’s explicit belief that inclusion and diversity are key factors for success.
However, a couple of online users sympathize with Google’s recently fired engineer. The Verge reports that a number of online sites have expressed support for Damore. Together, they argue that firing Damore confirms some of the very issues raised by his memo. Online sympathizers now accuse Google of making no room for employees with non-conforming political opinions, a clear backlash to the company’s so-called efforts on diversifying its workforce.
