YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Speaks Out On Anti-Diversity Memo
YouTube chief executive Susan Wojcicki has spoken out about the Google anti-diversity memo, branding as "pervasive" the sexism in the tech industry. Writing in an op-ed for Fortune, Wojcicki describes her experience with being marginalized in what many have considered a "male" segment over her career. While she may praise Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who set up the company in Wojcicki's garage back in 1998, she doesn't shy from criticizing the "unfounded bias" that is still present across the industry.
Her comments come in the aftermath of Google firing the author of the 10-page document, engineer James Damore. His piece on diversity, and the idea of there being biological reasons for why women hold fewer roles in engineering and management positions, was broadly circulated on an internal company messageboard. However, Google only took action when its contents leaked to a broader audience last week, and it faced criticism for allowing discriminatory dialog.
The case has prompted questions around freedom of speech and, as Damore himself wrote, whether conservative voices feel effectively silenced in liberal-leaning businesses. That's something Wojcicki takes on directly, highlighting that while Google is fine with freedom of expression and employees voicing their opinions, there are still responsibilities that come with that freedom.
"But while people may have a right to express their beliefs in public, that does not mean companies cannot take action when women are subjected to comments that perpetuate negative stereotypes about them based on their gender," the YouTube CEO writes. "Every day, companies take action against employees who make unlawful statements about co-workers, or create hostile work environments."
In an example, Wojcicki highlights the fact that for many it would be a more clean-cut decision whether Damore's memo was offensive if the word "women" was replaced with another group of people. "What if the memo said that biological differences amongst Black, Hispanic, or LGBTQ employees explained their underrepresentation in tech and leadership roles?" she questions. "Would some people still be discussing the merit of the memo's arguments or would there be a universal call for swift action against its author? I don't ask this to compare one group to another, but rather to point out that the language of discrimination can take many different forms and none are acceptable or productive."
Though many agree with Google's stance, the issue isn't likely to disappear any time soon. Damore says he has already filed a labor complaint, the AP reports, claiming he was subject to "coercive statements" at the company. Google, meanwhile, argues that it would've been unable to retaliate as accused, since it was unaware of that complaint until reports of it in the media.
Likely to be integral to the case is the question of whether Damore and employees like him can expect protection under the labor relations act around "protected concerted" activities. While that includes public commentary, experts are arguing whether the "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber" memo being published on an internal company messageboard would qualify for such protection.
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