ABC Home
Open Sites menu - use enter key to open and tab key to navigate
Log In
Search
ABC News
Open menu
BUSINESS
Google workers stage walkout over company's handling of sexual harassment
UPDATED YESTERDAY AT 11:48AM
Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp
VIDEO 0:47 Google workers walk out to protest treatment of women (Photo: Reuters)
ABC NEWS
Thousands of Google employees across the world have walked off the job in protest at the internet giant's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct.
Key points:
The protest is unfolding a week after a New York Times story detailed allegations of sexual misconduct by Andy Rubin
Google boss Sundar Pichai has apologised for the company's "past actions"
Google has fired 48 employees, including 13 senior managers, for sexual harassment in recent years
Employees were seen staging walkouts at offices including New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, Singapore, Toronto, London, Zurich and Dublin.
The Google protest, billed "Walkout For Real Change", is unfolding a week after a New York Times (NYT) story detailed allegations of sexual misconduct against the creator of its Android software, Andy Rubin.
Andy Rubin
✔
@ARubin
1/2 The New York Times story contains numerous inaccuracies about my employment at Google and wild exaggerations about my compensation. Specifically, I never coerced a woman to have sex in a hotel room. These false allegations are part of a smear campaign
9:29 AM - Oct 26, 2018
179
140 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
The report said Mr Rubin received a $US90 million severance package in 2014, even though Google concluded that sexual misconduct allegations against him were credible.
Mr Rubin derided the NYT story article as inaccurate and denied the allegations in a tweet.
About 1,000 Google workers in San Francisco swarmed into a plaza in front of the city's historic Ferry Building, repeatedly chanting: "Women's rights are workers' rights!"
In New York City, women and men filed out of Google's office and silently walked around the block for about 10 minutes. A few held sheets of paper with messages including "Respect for women".
"This is Google. We solve the toughest problems here," said Thomas Kneeland, a software engineer who said he has been at Google for three years.
"We all know that the status quo is unacceptable, and if there is any company who can solve this, I think it is Google."
Dozens of Google employees walk in the streets holding signs.
PHOTO Google employees in New York walk off the job.
AP: BEBETO MATTHEWS
The same NYT article also disclosed allegations of sexual misconduct by other executives, including Richard DeVaul, a director at the same Google-affiliated lab that created far-flung projects such as self-driving cars and internet-beaming balloons.
Mr DeVaul had remained at the "X'' lab after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced about him a few years ago, but he resigned on Tuesday without severance, Google confirmed on Wednesday.
Sydney headquarters joins protest
The unprecedented walkouts also spread to the tech giant's Sydney headquarters, where about 300 protesters left their workplace on Friday.
While current employees said they were prevented from talking to the media by the company's policy, some ex-employees and some in management positions spoke on their behalf.
Google walkout in Sydney
PHOTO About 300 Google employees joined the protest in Sydney.
ABC NEWS: HAGAR COHEN
"For many, [this is] a terrible reminder of harassment past or harassment still faced today," one person said.
"This is not a problem that only occurs for people interacting with a few executives on the other side of the world.
"As much as we would like to believe otherwise, this is a terrible part of our culture; a part that is present here in the Sydney office and the broader Sydney tech community.
"There are too many stories told behind closed doors. Unfortunately, we don't have the time or — to be perfectly honest — the safety to share all of those stories today.
"However, these are stories that we should all hear, incidents that we should all be aware are happening."
One speaker broke down in tears when she talked about ex-colleagues who left the company after complaining about sexual harassment.
Another described how a colleague was taken into a Sydney hotel and forcefully kissed by a male colleague from Google.
It has been confirmed that the protest was organised by Google Australia.
Employees implore Google to not be 'evil'
Google employees fill Harry Bridges Plaza, San Francisco
PHOTO Google employees in San Francisco filled the Harry Bridges Plaza during their walkout.
AP: ERIC RISBERG
Many employees carried signs with slogans such as "Not OK Google" and "Don't be evil" — the company's one-time motto.
In an unsigned statement from organisers of the mass walkout, sent from a company account, protesters called for an end to forced arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination.
They also want Google to commit to ending pay inequity and to create a publicly disclosed sexual harassment report and a clearer process for reporting complaints.
The organisers said Google has publicly championed diversity and inclusion, but has not taken enough action.
The protests are the latest backlash against men's exploitation of female subordinates in business, entertainment, technology and politics.
In Silicon Valley, women also are becoming fed up with the male-dominated composition of the technology industry's workforce — an imbalance that critics say fosters frat-house behaviour by men.
Google employees hold up signs saying 'Speak Up, Speak Out' in San Francisco.
PHOTO Protesters are calling for an end to forced arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination.
AP: ERIC RISBERG
Google chief Sundar Pichai apologised for the company's "past actions" in an email sent to employees on Tuesday.
"I understand the anger and disappointment that many of you feel," Mr Pichai wrote.
"I feel it as well, and I am fully committed to making progress on an issue that has persisted for far too long in our society. And, yes, here at Google, too."
Cathal Curry
@CurryCathal
Large crowd still walked out
@google Dublin @ 11:30 #GoogleWalkout
7:34 PM - Nov 1, 2018 · Dublin City, Ireland
272
119 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
The email did not mention the reported incidents involving Mr Rubin, Mr DeVaul or anyone else, but Mr Pichai did not dispute anything in the NYT story.
In an email sent last week, Mr Pichai and Eileen Naughton, Google's executive in charge of personnel issues, sought to reassure employees that the company had cracked down on sexual misconduct since Mr Rubin's departure four years ago.
Among other things, Mr Pichai and Ms Naughton disclosed that Google had fired 48 employees, including 13 senior managers, for sexual harassment in recent years, without providing severance packages.
But Thursday's walkout could signal a significant number of the 94,000 employees working for Google and its corporate parent Alphabet Inc. remained unconvinced the company was doing enough to adhere to Alphabet's own edict urging all employees to "do the right thing".
A Silicon Valley congresswoman tweeted her support of the Google walkout using the "#metoo" hashtag that has become a battle cry for women fighting sexual misconduct across the world.
"Why do they think it's OK to reward perpetrators and further violate victims?" asked Jackie Speier, who represents an affluent district where many of Google's employees live.
A woman holds a megaphone and speaks to hundreds of Google employees outside the company's Dublin office
PHOTO Google employees outside its European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.
AP: NIALL CARSON, PA
Latest trouble for internet giant
The latest complaints from employees are part of a wider discontent at Google and other Silicon Valley companies, though many of the complaints been discussed at internal company town halls, message boards and petitions that got leaked.
In August, more than 1,000 Google employees signed a letter protesting the company's plan to build a search engine that would comply with Chinese censorship rules.
Earlier, thousands of people signed a petition asking Mr Pichai to cancel Project Maven, which provides the Pentagon with the company's artificially intelligent algorithms to interpret video images and improve the targeting of drone strikes.
Google later said it would not renew the contract, according to published reports.
Hundreds of Google workers walk off the job and away from the building to protest
PHOTO Google employees outside its European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.
AP: NIALL CARSON, PA
AP
POSTED THU AT 9:09PM
SHAREEmail Facebook Twitter WhatsApp
RELATED
Google employee who blamed gender gap on 'biological causes' fired
Google chief says company has fired dozens of employees for sexual harassment over past two years
Lawsuit accuses Google of 'segregating' female employees
Top Stories
US targets arms program with strongest sanctions since scrapping Iran deal
Telstra says issue resolved on second day of widespread outage
Opinion: Trump has an ace up his sleeve that could seize an election win
Four 'invisible countries' that could redraw the world map
HBO not happy with Trump's use of Game of Thrones meme
Former students blast principal over Anglican sex discrimination letter
Mother and son dead, three others fighting for life after head-on crash
Khashoggi kill order came from 'highest levels' of Saudi government: Erdogan
The 'dangerous pattern' that may see countries go to war over fish
Can you retrain your brain by talking to yourself?
Child abuse didn’t end for Sarah just because she turned 18
Alec Baldwin charged with assault after alleged parking dispute
New defence witness may give evidence at Geoffrey Rush defamation trial
Firefighters extinguish bus fire on Sydney Harbour Bridge
Cricket viewers in for a shock with Australia-South Africa ODIs behind paywall
Cat tourism: Can hundreds of strays stop struggling towns getting scratched off the map?
Two men stabbed in knife fight at Sony Music headquarters
'Father of Taliban' killed in Pakistan attack
Lizards are smarter than you think, research finds
What a pearler: Pioneer farmer looks back on 30 years of oyster growing
Why yowie hunters are keen to prove existence of mythical hairy beast
Australian nun Patricia Fox loses Philippines deportation battle
Why are women more prone to anxiety?
Sky News sacks Ross Cameron after racist spray
Canberra's bushfire remains out of control, but there's no immediate danger
'Hate and racism have no place': More Young Nationals resign amid alt-right probe
Australian gangster murdered in Athens ambush
BUSINESS
Business HomeArticles
MORE FROM ABC NEWS
HomeJust InPoliticsWorldAnalysis & OpinionBusinessSportScienceHealthArtsLive StreamsVideoPhotosEntertainmentUploadSubscribeRuralMore >
Top of page
Change to standard view
ABC NewsJust InWorldBusinessHealthEntertainmentSportAnalysis & OpinionWeatherTopicsArchiveCorrections & Clarifications
Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyAccessibilityContact the ABC© 2018 ABC
