Google Protest Leader Leaves • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#71

Post by creaghpatr » Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 2:46 PM UTC

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #45

>Whittaker also publicly denounced some Google decisions, including the appointment of Kay Coles James, a conservative think tank leader, to an AI ethics board. Google soon nixed the board. I wonder how much that contributed. No matter the personal political leanings of the employees, most companies try to stay on the good side of both sides of the political aisle. When the president of Heritage Foundation (which is…

They didn't even go through with that AI ethics board (at least with that group)

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#72

Post by ahelwer » Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 2:46 PM UTC

gtfratteus wrote: post #12

As a googler, I say good. People like her have made going to work exhausting. Leave your politics at home and let me do my job in peace.

It is naive to believe you can avoid politics working at one of the largest corporations on the globe. Isn't the Silicon Valley manifesto to "change the world"? What about that could possibly be apolitical? The effect of "doing your job in peace" is to delegate your political responsibility to the people above you.

Accept the responsibility of being an adult who participates in society.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#73

Post by fyoving » Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 2:46 PM UTC

One less person on the payroll to generate negative news and internal strife is surely a positive development.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#74

Post by damnyou » Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 2:47 PM UTC

dmix wrote: post #31

gtfratteus wrote: post #12

As a googler, I say good. People like her have made going to work exhausting. Leave your politics at home and let me do my job in peace.

I was amazed there was even a Resist@Google group within Google. I’m okay with people protesting the companies actions but Google seemed to be internally supporting protests on company time and property. Which has pitted employees against each other across political lines. I don’t see why Google cant just keep it apolitical in the work environment while being open to critiques externally and not caring what their emp…

"Apolitical" means no speech or actions to change the status quo. That is fine if and only if the status quo is fine.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#75

Post by mffnbs » Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 2:47 PM UTC

anonuser123456 wrote: post #51

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #13

I thought this story had already been reported a month ago. But no, I was wrong, that was the other organizer of the Google Protests, Claire Stapleton: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jun/07/google-wa... So to clarify, both of the female Google employees who lead/organized the protests have now left because they say they faced retaliation. That looks very bad for Google.

Not clear why you needed to put 'female' in your statement. Are you implying Google's actions are a result of their gender?

Are you implying that their actions cannot be gender biased?

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#76

Post by PhasmaFelis » Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 2:47 PM UTC

gtfratteus wrote: post #12

As a googler, I say good. People like her have made going to work exhausting. Leave your politics at home and let me do my job in peace.

When people say they want politics out of something, what they really mean is they want everyone else's politics out. My beliefs are common sense; your beliefs are partisan politics.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#77

Post by awakeasleep » Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 2:47 PM UTC

Jasper_ wrote: post #58

charliesharding wrote: post #47

I don't really understand why it's surprising to anyone that they would face "internal retaliation" after exposing their employer as evil and boycott worthy to the entire world. By publicizing it to the degree that they did and attaching their name to it, they were putting their interests over the company. If my company started doing business practices that I didn't approve of, I would try my hardest to change the di…

It sounds like she did step 1 (try to change from the inside, first privately, then through employee protest), and now she's doing step 2 in your program. What would you do differently?

Most people would keep taking the check while convincing themselves they're not responsible.

When the somewhat immoral nature of that intrudes on people's thoughts, they can sort of silence it by finding fault with the person who IS following their conscience.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#78

Post by el_nahual » Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 2:47 PM UTC

geofft wrote: post #29

lawnchair_larry wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Looks good for Google to me. These protests were getting out of hand, and their demands were showing some major entitlement.

They're the people making Google work. Why shouldn't they be entitled?

Because Google gives them money in exchange for said work.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#79

Post by PhasmaFelis » Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 2:47 PM UTC

Afton wrote: post #69

dmix wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So as long as you have good intentions you should be free to bring whatever politics to work? Regardless of how, as long as what your protesting the right things everything else doesn’t matter?

Protesting against sexual harrassement and and equal compensation are just 'your politics'? huh.

When people say they want politics out of something, what they really mean is they want everyone else's politics out. My beliefs are common sense; your beliefs are partisan politics.

Re: Google Protest Leader Leaves

#80

Post by draw_down » Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 2:48 PM UTC

It’s interesting to compare this dustup to the “fired for truth” guy, I’ll say that. That guy seemed to have a lot more defenders, external to the company at least.

I guess “free speech” or “discrimination” wasn’t the issue after all.