Silicon Valley is no stranger to controversies around gender and diversity. A detailed blog post published earlier this year by a former Uber employee about the company’s culture of dismissing sexual harassment charges and protecting “high-value” male employees opened the floodgates for women in the industry to share stories of gender-based discrimination and harassment by high-profile male company leaders, investors and mentors.
When Google programmer James Damore last week circulated a memo suggesting that biological differences between men and women are responsible for the company’s gender equity issues, the industry circled back on the gender conversation it’s been having in fits and starts all year. Google’s decision to fire Damore for “advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace” added a new layer to the conversation about the role of the industry in shaping workplace culture.
