Fired Google Employee Wrote That ‘Women, on Average, Have More Neuroticism (Higher Anxiety, Lower Stress Tolerance)’

Google late Monday night fired a software engineer who published a 10-page memo on the company’s internal discussion board that argued women, because of their biology, are less suited for leadership roles especially in the tech industry. Conservatives, especially those who seemingly don’t understand the First Amendment or concepts of free speech, are outraged.

“The memo has clearly impacted our co-workers, some of whom are hurting and feel judged based on their gender,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a company-wide email, The New York Times reports. “Our co-workers shouldn’t have to worry that each time they open their mouths to speak in a meeting, they have to prove that they are not like the memo states, being ‘agreeable’ rather than ‘assertive,’ showing a ‘lower stress tolerance,’ or being ‘neurotic.’”

Pichai also said the employee, identified by the Times as James Damore, had gone too far “by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace.” And he said Damore’s memo, titled, “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber,” was “contrary to our basic values and our Code of Conduct.”

(ReCode has published Pichai’s full memo. Motherboard has published Damore’s full memo. Gizmodo has an easier-to-read copy.)

So, what did Damore write?

It’s a 10-page memo, so it’s impossible to fairly condense it here, but this excerpt should make it easy enough to understand a central tenet of his claims:

Women, on average, have more:

• Openness directed towards feelings and aesthetics rather than ideas. Women generally also have a stronger interest in people rather than things, relative to men (also interpreted as empathizing vs. systemizing).

• These two differences in part explain why women relatively prefer jobs in social or artistic areas. More men may like coding because it requires systemizing and even within SWEs, comparatively more women work on front end, which deals with both people and aesthetics.

• Extraversion expressed as gregariousness rather than assertiveness. Also, higher agreeableness.

• This leads to women generally having a harder time negotiating salary, asking for raises, speaking up, and leading. Note that these are just average differences and there’s overlap between men and women, but this is seen solely as a women’s issue. This leads to exclusory programs like Stretch and swaths of men without support.

• Neuroticism (higher anxiety, lower stress tolerance).This may contribute to the higher levels of anxiety women report on Googlegeist and to the lower number of women in high stress jobs.

More:

• Women on average show a higher interest in people and men in things

• Women on average are more cooperative

• Women on average look for more work-life balance while men have a higher drive for status on average

He also calls on Google to “Stop alienating conservatives,” which no doubt will be a rallying cry of conservatives.

Business Insider, a right-leaning website, Tuesday published an opinion piece stating if Damore sues, which he reportedly has said he will, he will likely lose. 

And let’s one clear: Companies, especially large corporation, have rules and codes of conduct. If you violate those rules and codes of conduct, the company you work for has every right, and in this case, it would appear, a responsibility, to terminate your employment. 

Free speech is not unlimited, and the First Amendment applies only to the government. The American concept of free speech, taken out of the contest of the First Amendment, does not protect you from the consequences of your actions.

Damore had to have known, or should have known, that he might lose his job if he were to publish what one feminist called his work, a “manifestbro.”

20/ If you want to construct some bullshit “manifestbro”, you are welcome to do so, but you cannot cry when others react. That’s cowardly.

— Charles Clymer🏳️‍🌈 (@cmclymer) August 8, 2017

So, now conservatives are outraged. Look at this sheer hypocrisy.

First up, Robert P. George, the co-founder of NOM, the National Organization For Marriage, a group dedicated to opposing same-sex marriage and LGBT people:

It’s as if Google execs WOKE one morn and said: “How can we ensure Trump’s re-election? Let us reinforce the image of a p.c. fascist elite!”

— Robert P. George (@McCormickProf) August 8, 2017

The culture of intolerance at Google is hardly unique. It exists at most large companies and other elite institutions. Folks are sick of it.

— Robert P. George (@McCormickProf) August 8, 2017

Then there’s a Senior Writer at the National Review:

And they say that one of the company’s founding values is “freedom of expression.” What a joke. https://t.co/2UWUdQk4zl

— David French (@DavidAFrench) August 8, 2017

If major corporations go farther down the road of limiting economic opportunity by ideology, get ready for polarization squared.

— David French (@DavidAFrench) August 8, 2017

Far right wing pundit and former Breitbart writer:

“We love diversity and science so much we will fire you for repeating basic social science data about diversity.” – Google

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 8, 2017

“Diversity is our strength” is Orwellian claptrap coming from people who can’t handle a memo that says women and men are different.

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 8, 2017

Right wing pundit seen frequently (lord know why) on MSNBC:

Re Google’s soft despotism: “Equality awakens in men several propensities extremely dangerous to freedom.” Tocqueville, pt II, vol IV, ch 7.

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) August 8, 2017

Right wing publisher:

James Damore: Writes memo respectfully saying Google suppresses conservative views. Google: You’re fired for having conservative views.

— John Hawkins (@johnhawkinsrwn) August 8, 2017

And then, some others:

NOT A CULT: Google fires engineer who wrote dissenting memo #tcot #pjnet #p2 https://t.co/3hORfCxnDn pic.twitter.com/Abun7NQLOf

— pete602 (@petefrt) August 8, 2017

Disgusting. @Google has just proven every single one of this mans complaints.https://t.co/ApYm3qgVLZ

— Lauren Southern (@Lauren_Southern) August 8, 2017

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