Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG,NASDAQ:GOOGL) has fired Google engineer James Damore over his anti-diversity memo.
The memo condemned the company’s desire to increase diversity in the workforce. Damore’s memo — which was published anonymously — was called “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber,” and it claimed women were less equipped for certain senior roles because of biological differences.
Damore claimed women are not as fit as men for high-stress jobs due to his opinion that they are more anxiety-prone. The memo sparked outrage at Google, with some employees claiming the company needs to change its culture, which favors men.
CEO Sundar Pichai wrote an email to the company that said the memo violated Google’s code of conduct and advanced “harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace.” The email was titled “Our Words Matter,” and Pichai said he supported the right of employees to voice their opinion, but Damore’s memo went a step too far.
Pichai added that the memo had a negative impact on his co-workers, who judged people based on their gender.”Our co-workers shouldn’t have to worry that each time they open their mouths to speak in a meeting, they have to prove that they are not like the memo states, being ‘agreeable’ rather than ‘assertive,’ showing a ‘lower stress tolerance,’ or being ‘neurotic,'” he added.
Damore worked for Google’s search product and said he plans to pursue legal action as he believes his firing to be illegal.
GOOG stock grew 0.1% and GOOGL shares surged 0.1%.
