Google engineer fired for memo questioning diversity policies, files class-action suit

James Damore, the former Google engineer who was fired for writing a memo questioning the diversity policies of the company (See: Google sacks engineer over memo defending gender bias), filed a class-action lawsuit yesterday claiming that the technology giant discriminates against white men and conservatives.

Damore's suit came on the same day that Twitter was sued by conservative publisher Charles C Johnson for banning him from the platform in 2015. According to commentators, the development comes as the latest signs of conservatives mounting a challenge against technology companies on the grounds that they favour liberal or moderate voices, reflecting the prevailing political sensibilities in Silicon Valley.

They point out that the tech companies' crackdown against users accused of ''hate speech'' after August's ''Unite the Right'' rally in Charlottesville has led to allegations of political bias against companies that are playing a crucial role is disseminating speech worldwide.

According to the suit filed by Damore in Santa Clara, California, Google discriminates against men, people of the ''Caucasian race,'' and people who are perceived to hold conservative political views.

The suit further states that Google employees who expressed views deviating from the majority at Google on politics or on employment practices, including ''diversity hiring policies, bias sensitivity, and social justice,'' were ''singled out, mistreated, and systematically punished and terminated from Google,'' in violation of their legal rights.

''Google employees who expressed views deviating from the majority view at Google on political subjects raised in the workplace and relevant to Google's employment policies and its business, such as 'diversity' hiring policies, 'bias sensitivity,' or 'social justice,' were / are singled out, mistreated, and systematically punished and terminated from Google, in violation of their legal rights,'' the lawsuit claims.

''Damore, Gudeman, and other class members were ostracised, belittled, and punished for their heterodox political views, and for the added sin of their birth circumstances of being Caucasians and / or males.''

Damore was fired in August after Gizmodo published his memo. Google CEO Sundar Pichai had said at the time that parts of Damore's memo ''violate our Code of Conduct and cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace.''