Why the Google Walkout Was a Watershed Moment in Tech

Good idea. Kinda sounds like a union. Whoda thunk.

"However Google responds, little at the internet search giant — and, perhaps, little in Silicon Valley — will be the same again." . Stop already with the drama. Little will change is probably closer to the truth.

The Google walkout was a breakthrough for being: led by women on women’s issues; international; in high-tech; professional class. I was a union delegate for two hospital strikes and know organizing is an uphill battle through repeated setbacks. Their drive, optimism, and moral backbone inspires me and I’m sure others. Google’s data on billions of users give it enormous power it wields for profit, working with the Chinese and U.S. governments for hidden goals. Knowing Google employees speak out not only for their own interests but for the peoples of the world is heartening. Google employees are on the wrong side of the gentrification struggle in San Francisco, but residents fought for rent control in Mountain View, Google’s home. If professionals benefiting from the information age global economy identify and link with the struggles of the poor and working class who are being crushed by that same economy, we have the roots of change in America.

I find Google employees who walked out to be very hypocritical. Why you may ask? For years the employees did not object as YouTube users to posted bootleg movies, music, etc depriving the owners of their legal rights to these income sources. Software written by Google employees for Chrome, G-Mail and Android invaded every part of most people's privacy without users consent. But yet all during this time Google employees were rewarded with lavish pay, perks and Google stock. Have you ever heard a person turn down a job at Google about ethics? So was the walkout really about sexual harassment, that is the metoo movement? Partially. Or was it really about a Google executive got paid a fantastic sum of money to be fired, an amount that most people will never earn.

For decades we’ve been told that tech is immune to collective action. Tech workers were supposedly too well paid. with too many perks, to take any action. But now a large group of Google workers have put the lie to that. They have to organize in their own ways, responding to their own conditions. I also hope that there can be some connection between the Googlers and unions. Unions can share some experience, and maybe the Google folks can help put the movement back in the labor movement.

Imagine a protest walkout of employees at GE or Ford. It can only happen when a company sees itself as providing an extension of the college experience. Some of these organizations may decide before too long that it is not an ideal way to operate a workplace.

I feel like we need to challenge the notion that "Outsiders have little leverage to force the industry to change." We vote every day with our dollars and eyeballs. We ridicule Google for tolerating sexual harassment, or Jeff Bezos for poor working conditions; yet, we vote convenience over values every day of the week, as they are planning their 8 figure retirements courtesy of us. One thing we can all agree upon is that we are a consumer driven economy. We should use the power we have.

"Outsiders have little leverage to force the industry to change. " Mr. Manjoo then makes clear that the "Outsiders" include the combined forces of regulators, lawmakers, academics and the media. It also surely includes all of Tech's customers. This is EXACTLY why the Silicon Sisters should be BROKEN UP!!! - just like we broke up Standard Oil or Ma Bell. The trouble with Monopolies isn't just that they charge too much for their products, it's that they ALWAYS take over the government eventually in order to assure they will NEVER face real competition. It's like Groundhog Day. BREAK 'EM UP!!!!!!!

So now as in most government employment and at most universities dominated by neo Marxists women Google will have a not "hostile environment", a "humanized workplace" where women be able to dictate to their supervisors and the company precisely what work tasks they'll do, and be able to work half the hours of male employees and actually competent women for "equal" pay … while the men and single women do all the unpleasant tasks and work 50% more hours doing the work that the always threatening to accuse someone of something women refuse to do. And Goggle will probably have to do what government agencies have to do to actually get all the work done - hire many gangs of male subcontractors who are paid lousy wages, get no benefits or enough hours of work to live on while they literally do all the heavy lifting and heavy thinking tasks that women are too weak or emotionally 'damsel in distress' fragile to do.

Is it really a walk out when your boss encourages you to do it? (As nearly every boss inside of Google did?)

Soon all these tech minions will realize that they have as many rights as a fast food employee. They are all replaceable and they will be replaced soon.

It certainly does look like an accumulation of cumulus-nimbus clouds in the technology world. They rallied yesterday because the Dems are typically pro-technology but, after the Russian meddling through social media, that just isn't so. It's not another dot.com bust of 2000 but the fast money, no pun intended CNBC, is over for a good long while with or without autonomous driving and drone delivery.

Why don’t they walkout for good and do startups? It is the cream of the crop right?

I am in Tech. My boss, and several others around me reacted sarcastically to this walk out. I have found in the IT industry an amazing number of closed minds.

I had a bit of an inside view (and a biased one), with a family member at Google. What impressed me about this walkout was the seriousness and quiet determination of those who participated, and the sober and well-considered management response to it. If these are indicators, then we can predict that Google will fix itself and move on.

A bit of a fake accomplishment. They have really done nothing. I see no change and no amount of words and promises will convince me that there will be. It's largely simply a posturing effort. Now get back to work.

Speaking of co-workers helping one another, one of mine just recommended DuckDuckGo, a web search engine that doesn't track you or sell your info to the highest bidder. I've been an avid user of Google but a never-Fakebooker, never-Tweeter, and never-Instagrammer, etc. Time for some real competition in the interest of the masses. Go DuckDuckGo! I am not a shareholder or investor, nor do I have any conflict-of-interest, whatsoever, in DDG--just glad there's an alternative to misogynist Google and pathetic Bing.

"But outsiders have few points of leverage in tech; there are few laws governing the industry’s practices, and lawmakers have struggled to get up to speed on tech’s implications for society. " The walkouts were not in response to some of the tech industry specific issues (such as Project Maven that was mentioned or the growing monopolies of the biggest tech companies) and more around corporate malfeasance that is common place in C Suits across America today. Read the five demands (https://www.fastcompany.com/90261033/google-walkout-heres-the-list-of-5-employee-demands). These are real issues across all industries; forced arbitration, pay/opportunity inequity, handling sexual harasment/misconduct in an appropriate matter, etc. My guess is most Fortune 500 companies struggle with those problems. Its just that workers at Google have more power then you average corporate worker. None of these things are specific to the Tech Industry.

It's hard to interpret this article except as blatant marketing for cyberprole rights. "Endless options when it comes to employment" is not the same as "enriching options that come with employment." those enriching options come with blue sky growth opportunities. start ups are a crap shoot, and can end up being resumé stains. then there's the raft of issues proposed by Ms. Stapleton about truth and beauty and virtue and mission, and ultimately about the true face of power. this pangs me with an unhappy sense of déja-vu. back in the 90's, information was going to be free and technology was going to transform the world, and i had an executive position in the biggest internet company. well, I've seen how that turned out. what we have in techology today fits the predictions, but not the aspirations, of that time. this taught me the hard lesson that what you think is the future is not going to happen as you imagine. young software engineers, raised on a culture of pizza, diet coke and overwork, lack the culture and the experience to recognize that fundamental fact of life. it all comes down to power. and worker power goes back to that presumably optimistic idea of endless job prospects. don't like working here? -- clear out your workstation. there are thousands more where you came from. look where the power is now: that's where it will be tomorrow. it is not, never has been, with the proles.

Google employees are not your typical service workers, that is for sure. But the collective power of united workers is nothing new. The new part is that it is in the service space. Social networking should continue to inspire these kinds of movements, whether its Google workers on a moral track or McDonald's workers on a financial one. Traditional workplaces will certainly target any leadership that tries to emerge, much as was done during the dawn of the union movement at the beginning of the last century. But a more worker-focused administration can, and should, have their back. E pluribus Unum.

As far as government work is concerned, the government wants the work done, it will find someone to do it. I would rather see Google it Microsoft involved than have someone like Erik Prince of Blackwater game start up some right wing extremist technology company.

I like the morality approach. Why should women have to accept brazen sexual harrassment as part of their work environment? It is sickening to have a “boys will be boys” excuse in this day and age. The boys at Google need to grow up and act like respectable men. Right now they are a disgrace.

Given the power of accusations in the current environment, it seems important to have transparency behind statements like "the company found credible". When the consequences are so profound, the process should be transparent; otherwise it invites abuse.

The optimism of these workers speaks to the potential for progress in this industry. Thank you for your hope. Thank you for your drive. Cynicism has no momentum.

Walking out of work and keeping their jobs is real power.