Is anyone else out there concerned about extreme executive salaries including, but not limited to, a $90 million exit package? I fear for the middle class.
4
I think it will be interesting how the issue of sexual harassment will work it's way through the legal system and how employers will apply it. First, the system will have to define what constitutes sexual harassment. Second, the system will have to determine how to deal with the concept of innocent until proven guilty. Third how will the system deal with privacy issues. I see this as a long winding road.
The $90,000,000 should be returned and given to employees as bonuses, or to be used to organize a union, or to begin a foundation to promote and ensure equality, or better yet, to hire more women and raise the salaries of women employees to be commensurate with men's -- how about ALL of the above!
11
Who cares what these narcissistic tech elites think, say or do? This so called story is being over reported.
3
Why didn't Mr. Pichair state that he would recommend that an employee representative be part of the google board?
Saying it's a board decision is evasive, boards take recommendations from the company.
I haven't trusted google since it deleted a review of a prominent North Carolina company, Biltmore Farms LLC-google used inaccurate information to make that determination.
if it is a decision to listen to an individual vs a prominent person/company, google seems to choose power over people.
3
[Read our columnist’s interview with Mr. Pichai: “Technology Doesn’t Solve Humanity’s Problems.”]
Wrong. Technology is one of the best tools that humanity has to solve problems, and this apply today for everyone more than ever, because now we are "attached" to technology.
With all the respect, a new CEO is needed.
1
Google is not a technology company anymore. They just buy tech and try to monetize it with ads. The company will eventually fade just like Web 1.0 companies.
This article continues the practice of using the phrase "credibly accused of sexual harassment" as a synonym for "guilty."
This is scary indeed.
8
Remember Google's foundation motto:
Don't be Evil.
(unless you make a profit)
Shameful
12
So where does "Don't be evil" fit into forced arbitation? Oops they removed that from their code of conduct back in May... I guess it all makes sense now.
8
These are patriachal companies who say one thing and do another. Some heads should roll at the top. The contract that people are coorced into signing to get job are oppressive, undemoratic and unfair, especially for women.
9
the fact that they are keeping arbitration at all, for any reason tells me they are not in the least bit interested in correcting this process. 2 things need to happen. 1. Arbitration - gone.
2. Police need to be notified - by Google. for any claim Either of these 2 not committed to = google is playing games. Google also needs to claw BACK the 90 mill they gave away and divide that into however many people filed a claim of sexual harassment or assault and give that to them for being so careless with people's lives.
9
This is all whitewash. Unless Google makes it's sexual harassment policy completely transparent and applicable to everyone who directly or indirectly works for Google, it's just a way to safe face for them. Sundar Pichai may have grown up poor, that does not say anything about his moral compass. As an Indian, I can tell you very clearly that mysogyny and sexual harassment of women are completely normal in India. I will believe Google is taking a step in the right direction when we the payoff of $90 million is returned by the person accused of harassment, or if one of the owners of Google returns that money to company's bank account from their own pockets.
12
@indisk, you made your point, but this is unnecessary speculation: "Sundar Pichai may have grown up poor, that does not say anything about his moral compass."
As another Indian American from way back, it all depends on your upbringing, there's no evidence he did anything wrong. Google's HR policies were set way before he became CEO and the founders still control the company, he's just a well paid employee.
Sexual harassment is a serious offense, the HR folk should have stepped in much earlier and forced the VP to quit. No matter how important he is for the company, people have to know their limits. Sadly most HR departments exist to protect management but the better companies try to do better by their employees. They are few and far between.
In this case I fear for the leaders of this "revolt." Company management have ways of making life difficult for employees they deem "does not fit."
Comments about a special browser for China etc are irrelevant. For profit companies cannot enforce morality in the countries they operate.
Give me a break, we live in a country that cuddles up to killer (allegedly) autocrats and support their genocidal campaigns in a neighboring country with our military.
1
Time for a new CEO for Google. This is just one, of the latest PR disasters for Google. Previous blunders include the "censored" enabled browser for China. Just a couple of examples. A good manager anticipates problems. A mediocre manager responds to them.
7
Sunday night in Silicon Valley, a Breakthrough Prize of $3 million was awarded to Jocelyn Bell Burnell. Professor Burnell discovered pulsars as a graduate student in 1967, but was not recognized for it, as the 1974 Physics Nobel Prize went to her male research supervisor and one other male professor.
This award brought relief and vindication not just to her, but to the three generations of women in physics who had to hear about this injustice and wonder what was wrong with the men in their field.
These negative feelings dampen the creative spirit of women. I am so happy to see these issues being resolved. Creativity and innovation require inspiration and who can feel inspired if some guy is going to put his hands on you when you get to work?
16
@Patricia: Well said. If the book: "Are Men the Weaker Sex" by Josette Sona is accurate (and I believe it is), too many men don't have the behavioral strength to do the right thing on their own. It's up to the rest of us to encourage those in power, and shed light on their injustices.
3
The article states,
"The company did not address some other demands by workers, including that it make its internal report on harassment public"
Companies for decades have had policies against cheating on expense accounts and retaliation against employees. Unless you publicize that, for example, in 2017, 22 people lost their jobs for expense account issues and 34 people were fired for retaliation, the policies have no meaning and employees will feel free to cheat and retaliate.
The same holds here. The women (and men) need hard evidence that the company will "walk its talk."
14
Google leadership is just reacting to an angry workforce. Without protests, there would be no action. Their leaders are moral vacuums. As are all corporate leaders. You don’t reach those heights with your empathy and sense of right and wrong intact.
13
What if Silicon Valley unionized? Workers have a lot if power apparently, but only together.
7
@Corbin: Then the unions get money from the workers. It would be great if the workers could join together without it costing them more than they've already had to "pay".
Google's unnecessary mega-payoff is inexcusable. It should be remembered. We are all dealing with evil now.
21
I always thought that tech companies who claimed they were changing the world because they made innovative products had little to do with making the world a better place. Google once had a company motto of do no evil but dropped that a few years back.
12
How about starting with getting that $ 90,000,000 back from Andy Rubin?
50
The use of arbitration instead of the courts to resolve all kinds of disputes is both a societal disaster and an indictment of the American legal system, which has become a nightmare for both defendants and plaintiffs of all kinds.
On the one hand, the ability of well-heeled litigants to draw out and delay judgment more or less indefinitely means that anyone without years of time and hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire lawyers is effectively denied justice.
On the other hand, the outsized sway of individual judges (some of whom are way out of control, though most are pretty sober) and the complete disintegration of the jury process, which has been turned into a football for manipulation rather than a space for sensible informed judgement, means that defendants need to fear bizarre judgements and wildly out-of-proportion penalties ($10m for hot coffee?).
Arbitration is thus one the one hand a power-play by those with contract power, cutting out the risks in the "other hand", but at the same time it makes the denial of justice to those who are weaker even worse.
To fix the arbitration problem, we also need to fix our legal system. And America's 1.2 million lawyers will fight to the death to retain their cash-cow, no matter how damaging to society.
26
@Pquincy14
The reality is that most people do not have a clue as to the reasons for the McDonalds hot coffee verdict.
Namely:
"It is the case that gave rise to the attacks on 'frivolous lawsuits' in the United States. Almost everyone seems to know about it. And there’s a good chance everything you know about it is wrong."
"Liebeck’s case was far from an isolated event. McDonald’s had received more than 700 previous reports of injury from its coffee, including reports of third-degree burns (most serious), and had paid settlements in some cases."
"McDonald’s admitted it had known about the risk of serious burns from its scalding hot coffee for more than 10 years. The risk had repeatedly been brought to its attention through numerous other claims and suits."
https://www.caoc.org/?pg=facts
5
This is not about Google suddenly discovering a conscience. Corporations are amoral. This is about the power of worker solidarity. That's a lesson for every worker, everywhere. As the old Wobbly Joe Hill said after being framed for murder and before his execution: "Don't mourn. Organize."
72
Google has granted its employees something the Supreme Court has denied to all Americans: an end to mandatory arbitration.
Google’s immigrant CEO understands more about American democracy than our Justices do.
39
@A.: But what kind of work environment does Google (or any company) have if it allows its workers to be harassed and abused without recourse? Why does it take a movement like #MeToo for a company to take allegations seriously?
1
FORCED ARBITRATION doesn't sound good and isn't good if one is on the receiving end of any kind of abuse or mistreatment. Google, Microsoft, etc. etc. -- late to the table on this one but finally, appear to be making an effort. Only time will tell if the effort is too little too late or will have any lasting effect on eliminating assault and abuse in the workplace.
20