James Damore, author of the controversial anti-diversity memo that went viral within Google’s ranks over the weekend and consequently prompted the company’s management to terminate his employment is considering legal action against the Alphabet-owned tech giant, the software engineer revealed in an email exchange with Bloomberg. Mr. Damore is presently exploring all of his legal options and actions that he may take against Google after being laid off for what he believes are political reasons. According to the firm’s former employee, the Mountain View, California-based company denied him his right to express concerns regarding his working environment and the circumstances that affect it.
Prior to his termination, Mr. Damore filed a complaint against his now-former employer with the National Labor Relations Board, stating how the company’s senior management both misrepresented and shamed him in response to what he believes are valid concerns. He believes that Google decided to lay him off in an effort to silence him, though he was officially fired for “perpetuating gender stereotypes,” something that most critics of his memo strongly approve. The original document sparked outrage within Google’s ranks, with many of its employees heavily criticizing its contents, some of which directly claimed that women are less biologically suitable to be software engineers than men are, a notion that critics described as misguided and sexist. Parts of the right side of the political spectrum in the U.S. and a minority of Googlers recently defended Mr. Damore’s stances, adding that he has the right to express his concerns on the matter, though Google CEO Sundar Pichai later said that such opinions are in direct violation of the company’s Code of Conduct.
A similar sentiment was expressed by the firm’s new Vice President of Diversity Danielle Brown who responded to the memo on Sunday, stating that Google is always looking to nurture a harassment-free working environment in which employees can feel safe while sharing their opinions on any topic, provided that such beliefs are in line with Google’s Code of Conduct and relevant federal laws on equal employment. It’s currently unclear how likely is Mr. Damore to file a lawsuit against his former employer whose representatives have yet to comment on such a scenario in any capacity.