Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Google CEO promises stronger response to sexual misconduct

In the #MeToo era, it has become a question for businesses of all sizes: What should be done with wrongdoers?

These toxic connections can come back to haunt major brands on social media and in traditional publications, so some organizations have opted to part with these employees quietly—paying lots of money for them to go away.

That tactic has backfired for Google, which paid three top executives millions during the past decade after they were accused of sexual misconduct.

The New York Times reported:

Google gave Andy Rubin, the creator of Android mobile software, a hero’s farewell when he left the company in October 2014.

“I want to wish Andy all the best with what’s next,” Larry Page, Google’s chief executive then, said in a public statement. “With Android he created something truly remarkable — with a billion-plus happy users.”

What Google did not make public was that an employee had accused Mr. Rubin of sexual misconduct.

[…]Mr. Rubin was one of three executives that Google protected over the past decade after they were accused of sexual misconduct. In two instances, it ousted senior executives, but softened the blow by paying them millions of dollars as they departed, even though it had no legal obligation to do so. In a third, the executive remained in a highly compensated post at the company. Each time Google stayed silent about the accusations against the men.

The New York Times obtained corporate and court documents and spoke to more than three dozen current and former Google executives and employees about the episodes, including some people directly involved in handling them. Most asked to remain anonymous because they were bound by confidentiality agreements or feared retribution for speaking out.

The news sparked a backlash within Google and without. Some Google employees have planned a protest.

The New York Post reported:

Hundreds of Google employees reportedly plan to walk out of the company this week in protest of the CEO’s response to a report the company allegedly protected executives accused of sexual misconduct.

The protest — in which employees reportedly plan to leave their desks at the same time — could happen Thursday, according to Bloomberg. It was initially reported by BuzzFeed News that more than 200 Google engineers are planning to participate in the demonstration.

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Google executives responded to the Times story with a message to employees promising that the company takes sexual misconduct seriously.

The Verge reported:

In an email to all Google employees following today’s New York Times exposé on Andy Rubin, CEO Sundar Pichai and Eileen Naughton — the company’s VP of people operations — said the story was “difficult to read.” “We are dead serious about making sure we provide a safe and inclusive workplace,” the pair wrote in a co-signed note. The email does not attempt to refute or discredit anything in The New York Times story, which said that in addition to Rubin, Google also protected two other men accused of sexual misconduct on their way out the door with generous exit packages.

“We want to assure you that we review every single complaint about sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct, we investigate, and we take action.” According to Pichai, 48 employees have been fired over the last two years without any kind of exit package / severance payment; 13 of them were “senior managers or above.” He also lists off steps Google has taken — in the months and years after Rubin’s departure and $90 million windfall — that are meant to provide transparency and confidentiality.

Later, Pichai wrote again to employees, this time acknowledging that the company’s apologies had been inadequate.

Ars Technica wrote:

In the five-paragraph message, which was obtained by Ars, Pichai wrote that the company’s apology "wasn’t enough."

As he continued:

So first, let me say that I am deeply sorry for the past actions and the pain they have caused employees Larry mentioned this on stage last week, but it bears repeating: if even one person experiences Google the way the New York Times article described, we are not the company we aspire to be.

I understand the anger and disappointment that many of you feel. I feel it as well, and I am fully committed to making progress on and issue that has persisted for far too long in our society…and yes, here at Google, too.

Pichai went further, noting that the company needed to take a "much harder line on inappropriate behavior."

Google, which has notably not refuted any of the Times’ reporting, did not respond to Ars’ request for comment.

Pichai has also promised to support employees who participate in the walkout.

One executive named in the Times report, Richard DeVaul, the leader of Google’s “X” department, has abruptly left the company.

On Twitter, many celebrated the women who are speaking up:

Others shared stories of their own bad experiences as Google employees:

Some applauded Pichai’s response to the Times story:

Others expressed frustration over the tech industry’s general speed at responding to these claims:

What do you think about how Google’s communicators have responded?

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