Google Fires Engineer for Diversity Memo; Damore Files Labor Complaint as Silicon Valley Debate Rages On
As Google deals with a controversial 10-page memo by firing the engineer who wrote it, a long-running debate between conservatives and liberals is revived in tech companies across Silicon Valley.
James Damore, the engineer who wrote the disruptive memo, confirmed his dismissal from Google on Monday, Aug. 7. The 28-year-old engineer said that he has been relieved from duty due to "perpetuating gender stereotypes," according to Bloomberg.
He adds that he is "currently exploring all possible legal remedies" regarding his termination. He has since filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
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His views have sparked debate, first within Google before spreading to Silicon Valley as a whole. Some took offense to his view that men are more suited for the software field compared to women, calling it "offensive."
"To suggest a group of our colleagues have traits that make them less biologically suited to that work is offensive and not OK," Google Chief Sundar Pichai said in his memo to employees titled "Our words matter."
"It is contrary to our basic values and our Code of Conduct, which expects 'each Googler to do their utmost to create a workplace culture that is free of harassment, intimidation, bias and unlawful discrimination'," he concluded, as quoted by Recode.
There are some who agree with his views, including Andrew Torba, Chief Executive of social network Gab. Aside from suggesting that Damore can work for him, Torba said that those who speak against the principles held by the liberal left will be "shunned, shamed and forced out," as quoted by Reuters.
Meanwhile, Google has been hailed by women groups after their move to evict Damore after a perceived breach of the company's code of conduct. Some have pointed out that Google did the correct thing, since retaining Damore after his memo could open up the company to lawsuits.
Damore worked for Google since December of 2013, according to a LinkedIn profile, which also listed his title as a software engineer for the tech company.
