James Damore, the Google engineer fired for penning a memo about the company’s politically homogenous culture, spoke out about his unjustified treatment with Tucker Carlson Monday night.
In his memo, Damore shared his concerns about Google’s lack of diversity and tendency to "shame into silence" anyone who dares to have an opinion that differs from the status quo. He also had the nerve to suggest that men and women have core biological differences, which can account for the gender gap in tech.
Damore explained to Carlson that he was just trying to shed light on Google’s political biases, which he said often dictates "what content they create" and "who they do business with." He also exposed that when the company does host internal diversity workshops, they tend to be held in secret. The culture, he wrote, needs a serious makeover.
The media didn’t take too kindly to Damore’s document, however, attacking it as an anti-diversity memo.
Asked for more specifics, Damore said the company called him to let him know he was fired because he was “perpetuating gender stereotypes.”
“They haven’t given any details other than that,” he said. “They either just called me names, shamed me or made broad generalizations.”
Carlson observed that Google never debunked his words – they simply fired him for asking questions. Damore agreed that “emotional outrage” drove Google’s decision to fire him.
In light of this episode, town hall meetings are being cancelled because Google employees do not feel safe speaking their own minds.
Damore’s memo is now available on his new website, Fired for Truth.
