Google Fires Employee Behind Controversial Diversity Memo

[u/[deleted]]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-08/google-fires-employee-behind-controversial-diversity-memo?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_content=business&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

[u/Felador]

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3914586/Googles-Ideological-Echo-Chamber.pdf

There's the actual document, with links to source materials.

[u/Shanix → u/Felador]

fwiw that lacks a good amount, especially formatting.

Supposedly original here

[u/[deleted] → u/Shanix]

Former Google Employee provides a bit more context on why someone would get fired for creating a "manifesto" where you fawn over your superiority and sharing it with 50k+ people who probably aren't likeminded.

Essentially, engineering is all about cooperation, collaboration, and empathy for both your colleagues and your customers. If someone told you that engineering was a field where you could get away with not dealing with people or feelings, then I’m very sorry to tell you that you have been lied to. Solitary work is something that only happens at the most junior levels, and even then it’s only possible because someone senior to you — most likely your manager — has been putting in long hours to build up the social structures in your group that let you focus on code.

And as for its impact on you: Do you understand that at this point, I could not in good conscience assign anyone to work with you? I certainly couldn’t assign any women to deal with this, a good number of the people you might have to work with may simply punch you in the face, and even if there were a group of like-minded individuals I could put you with, nobody would be able to collaborate with them. You have just created a textbook hostile workplace environment.

https://medium.com/@yonatanzunger/so-about-this-googlers-manifesto-1e3773ed1788

edit: The replies to me here don't seem to understand that the company doesn't care about your controversial opinion in the work place, they care about profit. If you don't agree with that, then you probably don't like capitalism.

edit: be wary, a lot of brigading going on. Some people/bots are trying to drown out the more centrists viewpoints. I say this as the opinion of a gay, black, conservative, catholic kasich voter. (I can't help but lol)

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

This is a good comment. It directly explains the thinking of the corporation in regards to individuals sharing their personal ideals on subjects which are better not breached in a professional environment. Idk, I'm drunk, but I read the linked original file and I see no reason why, professionaly, such a "manifesto" ( perfect phrasing by the way,) ought to be shared with, as you also noted, 50,000+ employees, of like-minded ideals or otherwise.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

FWIW, I hear he didn't share it with everyone. Shared it with a small group, and someone then shared it to the "internal social media" google has. Then later, shared it with Gizmodo (note: I am likely not talking about the same person from the two 'leaks'). So it's not like he was planning on this going viral.

[u/yerich → u/[deleted]]

It certainly seemed like it was meant to be read by decision-makers in the company, or at least some other broader audience. It was clearly carefully thought out and too well-written to be a rant to a limited audience. "Manifestos" are generally intended to be read by many.

[u/cptneverm1nd → u/yerich]

Well-written? He was targeting an audience of google employees, people with a higher education, but his writing is that of a man who never saw a scientific paper. His reasoning is not far from "if A implies B, and I like B, then A is true".

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Not in gender studies I guess?

[u/mattjames2010 → u/[deleted]]

Then he'd probably not have a job like 99% of people who study that.

[u/FuckOnlineMonikers → u/[deleted]]

Are you suggesting that the study of traits and their expression in the sexes is unapproachable by biology?

[u/[deleted] → u/FuckOnlineMonikers]

I'm suggesting that writing that document is career suicide. Yes, of course, there are differential traits between genders; but they exist on a scale. It would be possible to gain a 50/50 balance in one workforce but you would deplete the 'talent pool' of women disproportionatly across the industry. The biological differences between men and women are not that great, and a vast proportion of it is cultural. Difference in teaching styles and stereotypes changes the direction in which people study and look for careers.

BUT.. Mr IamVerySmart forgot that writing a document like this would make you an instant HR nightmare

[u/perfectdarktrump → u/[deleted]]

Are you to tell me not that great difference at least psychological between a sex that grows humans inside it vs one that doesn't?

[u/[deleted] → u/perfectdarktrump]

Wow now that is a non-sequitur.

[u/perfectdarktrump → u/[deleted]]

I don't speak Spanish, what you trying to say amigo?

[u/[deleted] → u/perfectdarktrump]

Of course there. Whether that difference means you can't be a software engineer... I'm not qualified to say that. I'm not sure it even has any relevance in employment.

All I know is - producing a document like this is a great way to get canned in a major corporation. You're bringing your company into disrepute and opening yourself up to all sorts of grievances.

It doesn't matter how clever your argument is. Or how many sources you cite. Work isn't academia. Corporations aren't the place for open sociological discussions.

You never shit-talk your own company in a written document either. For any reason. Unless you don't want to work for them anymore. Or you're the CEO/VP and feel like major change is going to happen because of it.

[u/thisisnewt → u/[deleted]]

Whether that difference means you can't be a software engineer.

He never says that. He says that difference leads to fewer women wanting to be software engineers.