Google has reportedly fired the engineer who penned an internal memo criticizing the company’s diversity program. The memo which belittled women caused controversy over the weekend after it went viral within the company’s internal discussion board and on social media.
James Damore, the engineer who authored the memo confirmed his dismissal from the search giant company to Bloomberg News via email on Monday evening. Mr. Damore said he had been fired for “perpetuating gender stereotypes.”
In a memo to employees titled “Our Words Matter,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the employee who penned the controversial memo about how women had biological issues that prevented them from a successful career in tech had violated the company’s Code of Conduct.
Google fired an employee who criticized the company’s diversity and affirmative programs. Credit”Getty Images
According to Pichai, the employee had crossed “the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace,” adding that “to suggest a group of our colleagues have traits that make them less biologically suited to that work is offensive and not OK.”
The 10-page memo, which was released over the weekend and spread like wildfire on social media said the shortage of female employees and a pay gap at Google was not solely the result of gender discrimination. Rather, the author blamed women for their choices as well as pointing out biological differences between genders.
The memo also seemed to suggest that Google silenced voices of Conservatives, a point which CEO Pichai acknowledged in his memo to the employees indicating a need for more willingness to include more viewpoints at the company including Conservative ones.
According to Bloomberg, citing the company’s internal discussion boards, “multiple employees said they supported firing the author, and some said they would not choose to work with him.”
A CNBC Original Report
Additional editing by Manyika Review.
