LOS ANGELES — James Damore used to be just one of 72,053 employees at Google, that is until August 2017. The former senior software engineer was suddenly propelled into the headlines — and subsequently fired — when he released what the media would label as an “anti-diversity manifesto”: Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber.
In the latest installment of its Free to Think series, PragerU’s newest video, What Happens When Google Disagrees With You?, Damore explains his “unforgivable” actions and exposes the consumer ramifications of Google’s stringent politically correct standards.
According to Damore, progressives believe that nearly all disparities in society are due solely to injustices. More specifically to Google and Silicon Valley, progressives believe that the gender gap in tech is due to some form of sexism. To combat this alleged injustice, Google treats women differently than men during hiring and promotion, holds official women-only events, and gives mandatory gender-sensitivity training.
Damore disagreed with Google, suggesting that sexism was not the sole cause of the gender imbalance, but rather one of many. From his perspective, Google’s approach to gender imbalance was itself a counterproductive form of sexism, increasing tensions and leading some employees to assume Google cares more about gender than programming ability.
“As an engineer, when I’m faced with a problem, I want to solve it,” said Damore. “So I decided to research the premise: that men and women are exactly the same.” Damore discovered that some disparities in tech might actually be due to men and women naturally having different goals for their careers and lives. Damore cites just two of his many examples:
A study by the British Journal of Guidance and Counseling found that women usually look for more work-life balance, while men tend to have a higher drive for status. Similarly, Cal State Fullerton psychologist Richard Lippa found men tend to be more interested in things, while women tend to be more interested in people.
However, Google disagreed. First, the company’s newly appointed VP and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Danielle Brown, posted a memo that said Damore’s report “advanced incorrect assumptions about gender.” Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, sent a memo to all employees saying Damore had “cross[ed] the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes” and that this was “not O.K.” Damore was fired within the month.
The memo went viral as the “anti-diversity manifesto,” but Damore argues that its content actually supports diversity.
“I had suggested multiple ways that we could get more women into tech without resorting to counterproductive discrimination,” said Damore. “[It’s ironic] the company that hires some of the smartest people in the world couldn’t handle a well-reasoned, scientific discussion.”
Damore then points to an even larger issue with the company. Google also influences users by manipulating its products to fit a certain viewpoint. For example, Google’s video platform, YouTube, already restricts access to videos by influential moderates and conservatives, including dozens of PragerU videos.
In response, on Oct. 24, 2017 PragerU announced that it is pursuing legal action against Google/YouTube and has encouraged people to sign an online petition asking YouTube to allow allaudiences to view the more than 30 PragerU videos that have been restricted on the platform.
“[Google/YouTube] are engaging in an arbitrary and capricious use of their ‘restricted mode’ and ‘demonetization’ to restrict non-left political thought,” said Dennis Prager, founder of PragerU. “Their censorship is profoundly damaging because Google and YouTube own and control the largest forum for public participation in video-based speech in not only California, but the United States, and the world.”
The total number of people who currently use YouTube exceeds 1.3 billion. Google and YouTube advertise YouTube to the public as a forum intended to defend and protect free speech where members of the public may express and exchange their ideas.
“This makes Google, in some ways, more powerful than even the government,” concludes Damore. “And that means Google has a special responsibility to, well, simply follow its own motto: ‘Don’t be evil.’”
MEDIA NOTE: PragerU contributor, James Damore, is available for interview, as is PragerU’s Founder Dennis Prager, and CEO Marissa Streit. Please contact MediaInquiries@theKcompany.co.
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PragerU, founded by Dennis Prager in 2011, is a not-for-profit organization that helps millions understand the values that shaped America and provides millions of Americans and people around the world with the intellectual ammunition they need to advocate for limited government, individual responsibility and economic freedom. In 2016 alone, PragerU’s videos received over 250 million views, a figure that will eclipse 350 million in 2017. PragerU is a resource for all who value liberty. It is a threat to all those who do not.
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