Google CEO Sundar Pichai decided to cancel a planned town hall meeting about gender and diversity because some of the company’s employees were concerned for their safety, Newsmax reports.
Recode reported Pichai sent out an email Thursday that postponed the meeting to a later date with a different format. It was set up after a Google employee wrote a memo that suggested women could not be as successful as men in the tech industry because of biological reasons. That employee was later fired for violating the company’s code of conduct.
Pichai wrote Thursday the company will explore alternative formats for hearing its employees’ concerns regarding gender and diversity.
“We had hoped to have a frank, open discussion Thursday, as we always do, to bring us together and move forward. But our Dory questions appeared externally this afternoon, and on some websites, Googlers are now being named personally. Googlers are writing in, concerned about their safety and worried they may be ‘outed’ publicly for asking a question in the Town Hall.” he wrote.
“In recognition of Googlers concerns, we need to step back and create a better set of conditions for us to have the discussion. So, in the coming days, we will find several forums to gather and engage with Googlers, where people can feel comfortable to speak freely. We’ll share details soon.” Pichai added.
The employee who was fired has threatened legal action against the company for dismissing him after he expressed his views.
Be the first to comment