Microsoft had an older e-mail implementation with their DLs (short for discussion lists). They exist for all manner of topics from where to find free food to finance, liesure and even politics. While I have seen them get heated or controversial its extremely rare.
My view is Google blurred the lines between work and leisure too much which encouraged behavior not tolerated at most companies. However internal discussion boards are still great. The "Internz" mailing list did frequently have these sorts of problems but that was largely because of the general inexperience of interns.
Because Valley culture has promoted that people basically work and live in the same place, actually being professional means missing out on a necessary component for progressing within organizations.
As these companies grow and populations become less homogenous and there's a higher certainty of meeting immature people or people with non-mainstream ideas, the probability of conflict increases.
Honestly, I'm glad that these companies are realizing that part of being a professional adult means knowing when's the right time to keep distance between your personal views and your job. It's also a big barrier that prevents diversity.
My view is Google blurred the lines between work and leisure too much which encouraged behavior not tolerated at most companies. However internal discussion boards are still great. The "Internz" mailing list did frequently have these sorts of problems but that was largely because of the general inexperience of interns.