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A recent Bloomberg article terms it an “imbroglio.”
Other depictions might be apt, too, of course, including this one: public relations disaster.
It hasn’t been the sweetest August thus far for tech giant Google, which, rather than currently being in the news for mainstream articles on business performance and related information is instead embroiled in high-profile controversy that seemingly grows by the day.
The problem started with an internal memo, which, in hindsight, should have remained internal.
Instead, it leaked, with Bloomberg noting that it is now “creating a firestorm across Silicon Valley.”
That will happen with a communication that openly questions the technical aptitude of female employees based solely on their gender.
The memo — many pages in length — was written by a male engineer, who didn’t last long with Google following the public release last weekend of what critics view as a misplaced diatribe owing more to personal prejudice and ignorance than to science. The engineer confirmed his firing and says he is “exploring all possible legal remedies.”
In fact, Google executives may be walking on thin ice presently, given that the memo also charged the company with being hostile to workers with conservative viewpoints.
Google principals dispute any such assessment and are keeping their focus regarding the memo purely on its incendiary remarks alleging that gender plays a major role in the comparative absence of females serving in engineering and leadership roles in the high-tech industry.
The company’s CEO says that the memo violates Google policy and standards “by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace.”