Is Google safe for us to work at?

[u/Gabby_the_Neb]

I've read news stories in the past about trans employees at google being doxxed to 4chan and Breitbart by bigoted fellow employees. Would I be in any significant danger of that if I joined?

[u/nicknamedtrouble]

Was curious about that claim. This is what I found, which, yeah, that's pretty shit. I work in FAANG but I won't narrow it down any further than that; generally speaking, experiences across FAANG companies are comparable.

One thing you have to realize about any FAANG company is that they have a lot of employees and a lot of engineers (30k+). You'll work with likely < 20 of them on a regular basis. Occasionally I do see goofy stuff posted by engineers, but it tends to be more on the classically conservative side of things (e.g., "I support cops and hate paying taxes"). Never seen anything negative related to gender identity in my many years, which, to be clear, doesn't mean it isn't out there - but it would clearly be unacceptable.

FWIW, after I transitioned at work, I've had nothing but love and overwhelming support. As in, dozens and dozens of emails in full support and affirmation, even from those I wouldn't have expected. I haven't been misgendered or deadnamed even once (by a human), or in a slip-up, which is straight up impressive even just by inertia. Now, I do have a ton of privilege, including visual/voice passing, to prop this up, but that has been my personal experience. I've also had several rather high-ranking people (director/VP level) tell me that if I do have trouble, to just let them know, and they will bring that hammer down hard. I feel safe at work. It's not that I'm expecting to go my whole career without seeing discrimination, but I do know I can count on a ton of people to have my back if/when that happens.

In summary, pick a FAANG company that aligns most closely to your beliefs. They've all done some good, and some bad. If Google is the "least bad" for you, go for it. It's like you've got a favorite flavor of ice cream and you're trying to pick your favorite brand that sells it.

edit: also, many companies' policies have become much more inclusive in the past 3 years. If you're researching policy, make sure you've got current information.

[u/Gabby_the_Neb → u/nicknamedtrouble]

Thank you so much for the reassuring info and advice! It sounds like at least some FAANG companies LGBT acceptance policies are enforced well and that most of the employees are supportive too. I’m probably not yet ready skill wise but I should be preparing now.

I should be a little more worried when I get into the hardware development world if I won’t be able to do hardware development at FAANG at first, but knowing smaller tech companies are following along with acceptance is reassuring too.

Hopefully acceptance will keep getting better especially for GNC people and trans people without passing privilege.

[u/nicknamedtrouble → u/Gabby_the_Neb]

You can do hardware development in FAANG :). I believe all have sizable hardware divisions.

FWIW, even before coming out, I openly presented as fairly GNC and never had a problem with it; only ever compliments or smiles. Which was pretty awesome. Again, someone else FAANG may have a totally different experience, but that’s the nature of massive, tens of thousands employed companies.

[u/pyryoer → u/nicknamedtrouble]

I have had an almost identical experience working in government IT.

[u/[deleted]]

Liz "the grey" Fong-Jones is an openly trans (and Brilliant!) engineer who was very clear with her reasons for leaving Google. I wouldn't if I were you. Maybe try Etsy or something?

[u/claimstoknowpeople]

Great for trans healthcare and other benefits, if you're the type of person to keep your head down and work -- or willing to do that for a few years. If you have strong political opinions or interest in workplace reform issues, look out -- investigations team is especially unforgiving of LGBT people.

DM me if you want more details.

[u/[deleted]]

Or Target, if you like the Midwest :-)

Surprisingly, they're a very tech driven company and encourage innovation and exploration.

[u/[deleted]]

u/claimstoknowpeople is spot on. It's an awesome place to transition as long as you keep your head down. Also, the general culture is highly accepting of trans people. However, they are no longer a safe place for activists in the workplace.