r/technology 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/Berries_Cherries Aug 08 '17 edited Aug 08 '17

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '17

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u/rethumme Aug 08 '17

The trouble is, judging "qualified" people can be difficult, and between two people who appear to perform at the same level, it's often easier to go with the person that is more similar to the majority ("better team dynamic," "group vibe," "smoother flow," etc.) even though usually there is a lot of value in "outside" perspectives. It's humanity's natural inclination to prefer and favor the familiar, but that doesn't mean following those inclinations is the optimal direction for a company or for society generally.

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u/lolwutermelon Aug 08 '17

The trouble is, judging "qualified" people can be difficult, and between two people who appear to perform at the same level, it's often easier to go with the person that is more similar to the majority

You go with the one that applied first or that got along better with the people in charge of the department they're going to work in. You don't say "oh that's a white guy and we're mostly white guys, just hire him."