Everyone seems to be talking about the Google employee who got sacked for suggesting that men were biologically better suited towards jobs in the technology sector. And just in case you missed it, here’s what you need to know.
According to reports late Monday night, senior engineer James Danmore was fired after writing an internal memo that went against the company’s diversity efforts. Danmore, who confirmed his identity and departure from the company to Bloomberg News and The Wall Street Journal, threatened to sue after he was terminated from his role by Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ:$GOOGL). Sundar Pichai, Google’s Chief Executive, said in a letter to employees that Danmore’s memo completely went against the company’s code of conduct “by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace.”
To no surprise, Danmore’s memo has created quite the outrage. The memo – which consisted of 10 pages – accused Google of being an echo chamber and intolerant of conservative viewpoints. Additionally, the 10-page document suggested that biological differences are what keep women from reaching executive positions.
“I’m simply stating that the distribution of preferences and abilities of men and women differ in part due to biological causes and that these differences may explain why we don’t see equal representation of women in tech and leadership,” Danmore wrote. He went on to write that women tend to be more neurotic, and they have higher anxiety and a lower tolerance for stress.
On Saturday, August 5, Danielle Brown, who is Google’s diversity chief, sent out a letter to employees which stated that the memo “advanced incorrect assumptions about gender” and is “not a viewpoint that I or this company endorses, promotes, or encourages.”
It shouldn’t be a total surprise to hear that this memo sparked outrage as diversity is a particularly sensitive subject in the Silicon Valley and for Alphabet. In fact, in April, the United States Department of Labor announced that it was suing Google for paying female employees less than male employees.
Featured Image: twitter
