Google’s trying to fix the gender imbalance in its office, starting with the author of an internal memo that questioned the value of diversity.
A male engineer has been fired after writing an email blasting Google’s diversity policies. The memo was leaked to the public Saturday and creating waves of controversy rippling from Silicon Valley.
According to Bloomberg, James Damore, the memo’s author, confirmed he was fired for “perpetuating gender stereotypes” and will be considering legal action. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said he violated the company’s code of conduct in a press release.
The scandal at Alphabet Inc.’s search engine company is the latest chapter in a saga of incidents involved gender bias or diversity in Silicon Valley. Bloomberg reports Ellen Pao’s 2015 lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers brought the issue to light. Many women in the tech industry have come forth since, voicing similar complaints.
Most notably, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was forced to resign after several sexual harassment allegations and complaints about the workplace culture. The company, failing to find a female replacement for Kalanick, is reportedly still searching for its next CEO.
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