A 10-page memo that went viral inside Google and has been obtained by Gizmodo sees a Google software engineer arguing that women are underrepresented in tech not due to bias, but rather because of inherent psychological differences from men.<\/p>\n
The memo has been shared repeatedly on the internal network and Google+. Motherboard first reported that the memo existed, and Gizmodo published it in its entirety.<\/p>\n
The memo titled \u2018Google\u2019s Ideological Echo Chamber\u2019 is essentially the personal opinion of a male software engineer working for Google.<\/p>\n
In the document, the employee argues that he \u201cvalues diversity and inclusion, am not denying that sexism exists, and don\u2019t endorse using stereotypes.\u201d However, some topics, he adds, now involve \u201cshaming into silence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis silencing has created an ideological echo chamber where some ideas are too sacred to be honestly discussed,\u201d and the lack of discussion brings about \u201cthe most extreme and authoritarian elements of this ideology,\u201d the memo says.<\/p>\n
The software engineer goes on to claim that the reason why women don\u2019t have a 50-percent representation in tech may be the \u201cdifferences in distributions of traits between men and women,\u201d and \u201cdiscrimination to reach equal representation is unfair, divisive, and bad for business.\u201d<\/p>\n
The traits in question include \u201cbiological differences\u201d that are \u201cuniversal across human cultures\u201d and are \u201chighly heritable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Women in general have more \u201copenness directed towards feelings and aesthetics rather than ideas,\u201d\u201ca stronger interest in people rather than things, relative to men,\u201d so they end up working for front desk rather than coding, the memo\u2019s author argues.<\/p>\n
Women also have \u201cextraversion expressed as gregariousness rather than assertiveness,\u201d hence, \u201chigher agreeableness,\u201d and consequently, \u201cwomen generally have a harder time negotiating salary, asking for raises, speaking up, and leading,\u201d according to the memo.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to stop assuming that gender gaps imply sexism,\u201d the document says.<\/p>\n
Feminists on Twitter have reacted with outrage and four-letter expletives.<\/p>\n
\nThe brilliant @kateconger<\/a> got the full anti-diversity memo circulating at google and it’s really fucking bad https:\/\/t.co\/w9PhYIJ8ws<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 kelly bourdet (@kellybourdet) August 5, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n