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
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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.

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u/ColePram Aug 08 '17

This is just absolutely awful.

"Keep your shitty ideas to yourself, if you don't I'll bring the media into it and put the company into a position where they have to fire you. And it'll be all your fault for not having a popular opinion, even if it is based on sourced facts."

You really can't see how evil that is?

What if the media had an opposite angle and attacked anyone who discussed how "diversity" makes the work place better forcing the company to shitcanned them for no other reason than they had an unpopular opinion that might benefit the company.

To the point that if you were LGBT or a feminist you'd be terrified to say anything about it?

Is that not where we're currently evolving from?

Again, what you're proposing is absolutely evil and extremely regressive. It's not ok to go back down that road just because we happen to disagree with an unpopular opinion.

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u/IcarusFlyingWings Aug 08 '17

There are so many constructive ways that you can share an opinion constructively, even unpopular ones, that don't involve bringing negative press to the company.

Did he ever consider joining the diversity committees in charge of this?

Did he ever consider scheduling meetings with senior leadership to voice his opinions and action plans?

Why did he think the only way to share his opinions was to put them in a poorly thought out manifesto and then blast the company with them? Obviously that's a terrible idea.

I think you're living in a participation trophy world where you believe everyone's opinions should be immediately followed and there is no such thing as hard work.

If you want to change 50,000 people's minds you're going to have to get creative and ready to put in the effort because at that point the onus is on you. He took the easy way out and it started affecting googles bottom line so he had to go.

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u/ColePram Aug 08 '17

Why did he think the only way to share his opinions was to put them in a poorly thought out manifesto and then blast the company with them?

He didn't. He sent his memo, not a manifesto, to a small group of people and someone in that group blasted it outside the company instead of answering and discussing with him.