A Googler's Would-Be Manifesto Reveals Tech's Rotten Core

Posted August 7, 2017

External Article: The Atlantic

Ian Bogost, professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, wrote “A Googler’s Would-Be Manifesto Reveals Tech’s Rotten Core” for The Atlantic.

Excerpt:

An anonymous Google software engineer’s 10-page fulmination against workplace diversity was leaked from internal company communications systems, including an internal version of Google+, the company’s social network, and another service that Gizmodo, which published the full memo, called an “internal meme network.”

“I’m simply stating that the distribution of preferences and abilities of men and women differ in part due to biological causes,” the Googler writes, “and that these differences may explain why we don’t see equal representation of women in tech and leadership.”

The memo has drawn rage and dismay since its appearance Saturday, when it was first reported by Motherboard. It seemed to dash hopes that much progress has been made in unraveling the systemic conditions that produce and perpetuate inequity in the technology industry. 

For the full article, read here.