Maybe the takeaway is: you shouldn't write "memos" that generate a lot of noise and lost productivity in your work environment and affect your company's external image. If you have political points you want to make, go find a group of like-minded individuals and discuss with them first.
As far as I understand, the memo was submitted to an area of google's internal google+ that was specifically meant for controversial/contrary opinions and discussions.
It's not as if he submitted the article in an inappropriate place in an attempt to shock and offend. He spoke his mind in a place that was seemingly designated for that purpose... Yet another person leaks the memo to drum up outrage and that's somehow ok..?
I'm really disappointed in the culture of mob outrage that's been taking over the Internet in recent years...
In that case you have an off-line discussion with a group of friends to validate your idea. If there seems to be a consensus, you raise the point at the next TGIF (the internal Alphabet-wide gathering every Thursday), tactfully and without making generalizations about gender and without inflammatory arguments against your perceived political leanings of the company.
I was there during the whole Nest reorg/culture drama for crying out loud. I've seen people lob really hairy questions at the TGIF panel and I don't recall a single one of them getting fired.
> In that case you have an off-line discussion with a group of friends to validate your idea.
He brought it to the Google Skeptics group for precisely that reason.
> If there seems to be a consensus, you raise the point at the next TGIF (the internal Alphabet-wide gathering every Thursday), tactfully and without making generalizations about gender and without inflammatory arguments against your perceived political leanings of the company.
> He brought it to the Google Skeptics group for precisely that reason
That's not an off-line resource. That's a public mailing list reachable by any employee. It's not even remotely what I am suggesting.
> What point would that be?
"I believe our current hiring practices might be affecting certain candidates because A, B and C mechanism stop/hinder/disproportionally-favor X, Y, Z groups" No need for building an argument about biological differences between men and women, no reason to build an antagonistic recount of what you think the motivations are, no need to call your peers and higher ups "Leftist." State the facts, ask the question, move on.
Assuming he really cared about hiring practices (which is purportedly the reason he wrote the memo), that would've gotten everyone's attention and I can guarantee that nobody would've gotten fired.
One of Damore's concerns is that Google has already taken an internal, political stance that he is uncomfortable with. If everyone else is allowed to have a political opinion, why isn't he?
