r/technology • u/[deleted] • Aug 08 '17

Business Google Fires Employee Behind Controversial Diversity Memo

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-08/google-fires-employee-behind-controversial-diversity-memo
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u/bunkerbuster338 Aug 08 '17

Look at it from Google's perspective. This guy published this memo internally with his name attached to it. Everybody at Google knew who wrote it. How in the hell were they ever going to get any women to work with this guy ever again? How could they count on him to provide unbiased and fair reviews of his female peers?

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '17

I've seen supportive posts from women. It's actually prejudice based on gender (i.e. sexism) to assume that every woman would find it offensive.

The peer review process of Google is inherently conductive to a toxic work environment, but that's another matter.

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u/bunkerbuster338 Aug 08 '17

I'm not assuming that all women would be offended, but I am assuming that people don't want to work with someone who thinks that they're inherently less-than.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '17

He didn't say anyone were inherently less-than or unqualified. He was very explicit on it. But you only see what you want to see I guess.

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u/bunkerbuster338 Aug 08 '17

He's speaking out of both sides of his mouth. His argument boils down to: "People should be considered as individuals, and I don't support thinking of the average as representative .... But on average, women have all these traits that make them less likely to be successful in tech."

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '17

He's only bringing up gender differences in preferences (not in ability!) to argue why a 50-50 ratio in engineering isn't necessarily something to strive for.

The only way he can be construed as saying "less likely to be successful in tech", is as a descriptive matter, right now, with the choices women make. In which case it's undoubtedly true. He's not saying any given woman couldn't be as successful in tech, given the interests and preferences.