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James Damore Explains Why He Was Fired By Google (wsj.com)
In an exclusive Wall Street Journal post, the engineer responsible for the anti-diversity "Google manifesto," James Damore, explains why he was fired by the company: I was fired by Google this past Monday for a document that I wrote and circulated internally raising questions about cultural taboos and how they cloud our thinking about gender diversity at the company and in the wider tech sector. I suggested that at least some of the male-female disparity in tech could be attributed to biological differences (and, yes, I said that bias against women was a factor too). Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai declared that portions of my statement violated the company's code of conduct and "cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace." My 10-page document set out what I considered a reasoned, well-researched, good-faith argument, but as I wrote, the viewpoint I was putting forward is generally suppressed at Google because of the company's "ideological echo chamber." My firing neatly confirms that point. How did Google, the company that hires the smartest people in the world, become so ideologically driven and intolerant of scientific debate and reasoned argument? [...]
In my document, I committed heresy against the Google creed by stating that not all disparities between men and women that we see in the world are the result of discriminatory treatment. When I first circulated the document about a month ago to our diversity groups and individuals at Google, there was no outcry or charge of misogyny. I engaged in reasoned discussion with some of my peers on these issues, but mostly I was ignored. Everything changed when the document went viral within the company and the wider tech world. Those most zealously committed to the diversity creed -- that all differences in outcome are due to differential treatment and all people are inherently the same -- could not let this public offense go unpunished. They sent angry emails to Google's human-resources department and everyone up my management chain, demanding censorship, retaliation and atonement. Upper management tried to placate this surge of outrage by shaming me and misrepresenting my document, but they couldn't really do otherwise: The mob would have set upon anyone who openly agreed with me or even tolerated my views. When the whole episode finally became a giant media controversy, thanks to external leaks, Google had to solve the problem caused by my supposedly sexist, anti-diversity manifesto, and the whole company came under heated and sometimes threatening scrutiny.
In my document, I committed heresy against the Google creed by stating that not all disparities between men and women that we see in the world are the result of discriminatory treatment. When I first circulated the document about a month ago to our diversity groups and individuals at Google, there was no outcry or charge of misogyny. I engaged in reasoned discussion with some of my peers on these issues, but mostly I was ignored. Everything changed when the document went viral within the company and the wider tech world. Those most zealously committed to the diversity creed -- that all differences in outcome are due to differential treatment and all people are inherently the same -- could not let this public offense go unpunished. They sent angry emails to Google's human-resources department and everyone up my management chain, demanding censorship, retaliation and atonement. Upper management tried to placate this surge of outrage by shaming me and misrepresenting my document, but they couldn't really do otherwise: The mob would have set upon anyone who openly agreed with me or even tolerated my views. When the whole episode finally became a giant media controversy, thanks to external leaks, Google had to solve the problem caused by my supposedly sexist, anti-diversity manifesto, and the whole company came under heated and sometimes threatening scrutiny.
It's the same thing that Larry Summers got in trouble for. You're not an expert in neuroscience or sociology. You're not qualified to say what differences are biological, which are cultural, and which are due to bias. You're picking and choosing tidbits of pseudo-science that reinforce an argument that women are genetically predisposed towards different types of technical work than men. Absent scientific consensus to support that claim, this isn't all that different than classic sexism. It creates a hostile work environment, those who were offended had every right to be offended, and management is going to do what they're going to do in that situation.
You are right to assume I don't work in Silicon Valley, and am if anything in a fairly conservative area.
As a liberal in a sea of right wing stupidity run amok I am able to navigate the waters of right wing coworkers despite knowing that Donald Trump is a racist clown who is only supported by racist idiots. I simply keep certain opinions to myself, which isn't difficult, because I'm at work after all.
Much how this guy could have easily avoided discussing castrated males, and other nonsense, I can easily avoid discussing the abject stupidity, racism, and hatred that permeates the hateful right wing.
By the way, what the hell is wrong with this?
"We will exclude you from interaction if you insult, demean or harass anyone. ... In particular, we don't tolerate behavior that excludes people in socially marginalized groups."
Are you whining because a project doesn't cater to bigotry and harassment???
He didn't write a manifesto, he wrote an argument for reviewing some of their procedures and practices at the company.
Yes, he did write an obviously inflammatory manifesto, citing cherry-picked data to promote conservative views (affirmative action for conservatives) and to stop anti-bias training to make sure fewer minorities are hired.
And as usual, like any good white male anti-SJW warrior, he started virtue signaling to the usual right-wingers by whining like a 2-year old. Just yesterday he's been comparing Google with 6-figure salaries to work camps in Soviet Russia.
Thank you. And yet my first post on this thread has been labeled as -1 Troll. There are a lot of Libertarians who desperately want women to suck bad at things, it appears.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.