{"id":17527,"date":"2017-08-11T11:45:02","date_gmt":"2017-08-11T18:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/?p=17527"},"modified":"2017-08-11T11:45:02","modified_gmt":"2017-08-11T18:45:02","slug":"memo-on-women-crossed-line-offensive-google-ceo-pichai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/memo-on-women-crossed-line-offensive-google-ceo-pichai\/","title":{"rendered":"Memo on Women Crossed Line, Offensive: Google CEO Pichai"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, seen here delivering the keynote address at the Google I\/O 2017 Conference at Shoreline Amphitheater, May 17, in Mountain View, Calif. (Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai strongly denounced a memo written by a now-fired male company employee attributing low number of women in technical posts to biological differences, saying it crossed the line by \u201cadvancing harmful gender stereotypes\u201d in the workplace, writes Yoshita Singh.<\/b><\/p>\n

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Pichai, in a note to Google employees, said while the technology company supports the rights of its employees to express themselves, \u201cportions of the memo violate our Code of Conduct and cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Google fired software engineer James Damore, Aug. 7, after he wrote a memo titled \u2018Google\u2019s Ideological Echo Chamber\u2019 in which he had said that low number of women in technical positions was due to biological differences and not because of discrimination.<\/p>\n

Terming the situation \u201ca very difficult time,\u201d Pichai said suggestions that a group of people have traits that make them \u201cless biologically suited\u201d to work is \u201coffensive and not OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pichai, 45, said several Google employees have been hurt and impacted by the memo and they feel \u201cjudged based on their gender.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur co-workers shouldn\u2019t 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 \u2018agreeable\u2019 rather than \u2018assertive,\u2019 showing a \u2018lower stress tolerance,\u2019 or being \u2018neurotic\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pichai noted that co-workers must feel free to express dissent.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo to be clear again, many points raised in the memo – such as the portions criticizing Google\u2019s trainings, questioning the role of ideology in the workplace, and debating whether programs for women and underserved groups are sufficiently open to all are important topics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pichai said he was cutting short a family vacation and returning to the company as \u201cclearly there\u2019s a lot more to discuss as a group including how we create a more inclusive environment for all.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, seen here delivering the keynote address at the Google I\/O 2017 Conference at Shoreline Amphitheater, May 17, in Mountain View, Calif. (Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images) Google CEO Sundar Pichai strongly denounced a memo written by a now-fired male company employee attributing low number of women in technical posts to biological differences, saying…<\/p>\n

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