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posted by takyon on Tuesday August 08 2017, @08:11PM   Printer-friendly
from the conversation-starter dept.

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

Alphabet Inc.'s Google has fired an employee who wrote an internal memo blasting the web company's diversity policies, creating a firestorm across Silicon Valley. James Damore, the Google engineer who wrote the note, confirmed his dismissal in an email, saying that he had been fired for "perpetuating gender stereotypes." He said he's "currently exploring all possible legal remedies."

[...] Earlier on Monday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent a note to employees that said portions of the memo "violate our Code of Conduct and cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace." But he didn't say if the company was taking action against the employee. A Google representative, asked about the dismissal, referred to Pichai's memo.

[...] After the controversy swelled, Danielle Brown, Google's new vice president for diversity, integrity and governance, sent a statement to staff condemning Damore's views and reaffirmed the company's stance on diversity. In internal discussion boards, multiple employees said they supported firing the author, and some said they would not choose to work with him, according to postings viewed by Bloomberg News.

"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."

Source: Bloomberg.

[Update: Apparently Julian Assange has offered James Damore a job, saying that "Censorship is for losers". - Fnord666]

Previously: Googler's Memo on Culture of Diversity Extremism Goes Viral Inside Google


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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by krishnoid on Tuesday August 08 2017, @08:39PM (12 children)

    by krishnoid (1156) on Tuesday August 08 2017, @08:39PM (#550750)

    A couple things came to mind:

    • He's a professional software engineer. Maybe a ten-page opinion piece on a Google internal forum wasn't the best place to try his hand at amateur (?) contemporary social anthropology?
    • This is *Google*, of all places. Regardless of opinions, how does the (vast) *data* available to them statistically compare to some/any of the points in that document?

    Finally, I'll leave this here [theuncool.com] for you to peruse at your convenience. It's very rambly, but I think it worked out ok for Jerry McGuire in the end.

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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 08 2017, @08:47PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 08 2017, @08:47PM (#550756)

    Most reporters left out that fact.

  • (Score: 2) by jmorris on Tuesday August 08 2017, @09:05PM (8 children)

    by jmorris (4844) on Tuesday August 08 2017, @09:05PM (#550770)

    He's a professional software engineer.

    Maybe you shouldn't pontificate on things you don't actually know anything about. Guy is a Harvard Biology PhD, not a random software engineer. He was in fact discussing subjects within his wheelhouse. Remember, Google has been sucking in the best and brightest from a LOT of fields for years, doing who knows what sort of Evil Google Things. I'm still rooting for him having gobs of those Evil Secrets safely uploaded to WikiLeaks. Google hasn't had many disgruntled ex-employees up until now so their secrets have stayed a lot more secret than, for a random example, the U.S. government.

    #GoogleLeaks. Lets all root for it to happen. In Kek's name we ask this! For great lulz!

    • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Tuesday August 08 2017, @10:32PM

      by kaszz (4211) on Tuesday August 08 2017, @10:32PM (#550799) Journal

      Maybe you are right that the time is ripe for some serious secrets to be spilled from google due to people being disgruntled. They could of course attack people they know about like in this case. But there's always the uncertainty of people inside watching this play out and deciding to play hard wrecking ball from the inside.

    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday August 08 2017, @11:26PM

      by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Tuesday August 08 2017, @11:26PM (#550820) Journal

      I'm still rooting for him having gobs of those Evil Secrets safely uploaded to WikiLeaks.

      If he is the only one who leaks, he would be really easy to sue by GOOG.

      --
      [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    • (Score: 5, Informative) by aristarchus on Wednesday August 09 2017, @02:15AM (4 children)

      by aristarchus (2645) on Wednesday August 09 2017, @02:15AM (#550886) Journal

      He's a professional software engineer.

      Maybe you shouldn't pontificate on things you don't actually know anything about. Guy is a Harvard Biology PhD,

      Turns out he is not. 28 years old, worked for google since 2013? PhD at 24? Except Harvard says he does not hold a Doctorate from them. What else is he lying about?

      Maybe, jmorris, you should not pontificate on things you know nothing about?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @02:56AM (3 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @02:56AM (#550899)

        A bit of extra sauce on the resume never hurts.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:18AM (2 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:18AM (#550913)

          Except when it is academic fraud. I know of persons who did not complete a PhD, and awarded themselves a consolation MA, but unfortunately from an institution that did not have a MA in the discipline. Did not end well. But to just grant yourself a PhD, from Harvard? Being a sexist conservative seems to be the least of this guy's problems.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @04:51AM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @04:51AM (#550951)

            A bit of extra sauce on the resume never hurts.

            Sorry, that was meant tongue-in-cheek.

            • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Wednesday August 09 2017, @06:15AM

              by aristarchus (2645) on Wednesday August 09 2017, @06:15AM (#550970) Journal

              Yeah, caught it. But it does raise the question of the memo author's bona fides, if you know what I mean.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @07:15PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @07:15PM (#551253)

      really? such a low level writing for that title

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 08 2017, @10:28PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 08 2017, @10:28PM (#550797)

    > Google internal forum

    devoted strictly to business? then he fscked up.

    devoted to strengthen the workforce identity or some other bullshit? then he was entitled to complain. Every other category complains, and, THE EBIL PRIVILEGED WHITE MEN THAT ACTUALLY RULE THE WORLD lets them complain, apparently.

    An appropriate HR response: "we don't agree with his conclusions so we won't act on his complaints, he is a valuable worker* so we hope his opinions won't cause problems when interacting with colleagues"...
    *) if not they would have fired him already and HR will never admit being wrong.

    So why did they go nuclear? fear of feminazis? a test to see how many boycott google over this? sexist drama to distract us from something else?

    • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Wednesday August 09 2017, @01:05AM

      by kaszz (4211) on Wednesday August 09 2017, @01:05AM (#550863) Journal

      > Google internal forum

      devoted strictly to business? then he fscked up.

      The problem is that it is business and indeed career related if you look inside the memo under the heading "The Harm of Google’s biases":

      Programs, mentoring, and classes only for people with a certain gender or race

      Reconsidering any set of people if it’s not “diverse” enough, but not showing that same scrutiny in the reverse direction (clear confirmation bias)

      These practices are based on false assumptions generated by our biases and can actually increase race and gender tensions. We’re told by senior leadership that what we’re doing is both the morally and economically correct thing to do, but without evidence this is just veiled left ideology [7] that can irreparably harm Google.

      Now suppose you are going to handle a new big mapping project but can't get access to a program on Geographic information systems (GIS) because you have the wrong sex, race whatever. Then there will be a problem. Smart people can in many cases workaround stuff like that but it's not conducive to productive results.

      Which is kind of the core of this. Google has taken on a culture and cadre of political commissars that are counterproductive. And it will only be a question of time before profits and competence leave the house. Firing this employee and the subsequent uproar in itself will likely not be problematic in the short term. But it's a sign that the direction is bad and now it's out in the open. The choice is between Google fixing this or the market fixing Google. It also serves as a signal post for others that Google is now damaged goods and no longer a top spot.

      So why did they go nuclear?

      Because this new ideology whatever you want to call it is looking into controlling the thought of people and to grab power. There's a lot of people that just can't handle that some people think differently. So they can't have heretics or dissent nor tolerate it. This has been going on at least since 1987. It just has gotten big enough now to make it a issue for a lot of people because of the spread.
      It's the same human deficiencies displayed at the Salem witch trials in 1692 all over again in a different shape.

      A simpler explanation is that toxic people has been allowed in.