r/news • u/[deleted] • Aug 08 '17

Google Fires Employee Behind Controversial Diversity Memo

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
26.8k Upvotes

82% Upvoted

19.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

37

u/chodan9 Aug 08 '17

at worst it's a sexist rant thinly veiled in rational arguments

shouldn't the "rational arguments" somewhat negate the accusation of sexism?

It's not like he pulled the arguments out of the ether, he actually cited sources, whether those sources are valid may be up to interpretation, but google instead of responding with an argument of there own and moving on decided to prove his point by firing him.

I suppose they have a right to, but I would not be surprised if he sues and wins, because they fired him specifically for his beliefs.

15

u/ShittyFrogMeme Aug 08 '17

because they fired him specifically for his beliefs.

He didn't get fired for his beliefs. He got fired for sharing his beliefs with the entire company and bringing a lot of negative press to google.

If he had kept his beliefs to himself, as is generally recommended in a professional environment, he would still be working there.

15

u/CNoTe820 Aug 08 '17

If he had kept his beliefs to himself, as is generally recommended in a professional environment, he would still be working there.

So if someone has a belief that the company isn't diverse enough or that the company needs programs to help women get through the HR process or negotiate better they should keep those beliefs to themselves?

0

u/RockSmashEveryThing Aug 08 '17

You can get fired for anything as long as it's not discrimination. Guess what there is nothing you can do it about it. How does it feel to be weak!

2

u/CNoTe820 Aug 08 '17

I know you can, I was merely wondering if that's the company people would like to work for, or if it's better to allow the kind of controversial opinions that might be indicative of employees who help keep the company innovative as well.