Since opening its web portal doors more than 20 years ago, the company’s motto had always been “don’t be evil.” This changed in early 2018 when the search engine juggernaut quietly removed the phrase from its code of conduct – its parent company, Alphabet, maintains the variant of “do the right thing.” It was meant to be a guiding principle for the company’s future decisions, but it appears to have been more of an impediment to padding the bottom line and employing questionable business practices, hence its deletion.
Over the years, the Silicon Valley behemoth has been accused of quashing dissent, demanding groupthink, censoring the right, and so much more. Now, if the latest allegations are true, the company has also been covering up sexual misconduct among high-level senior employees.
Perhaps its slogan moving forward should be: “Don’t be evil – maybe.”
A $90 Million Cover Up
A new lawsuit submitted by stockholder James Martin alleges that Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as well as the board of directors, maintained a “multi-year scheme to cover up sexual harassment and discrimination at Alphabet.” The case lists a $90 million severance payout to a senior executive, following an internal investigation into a credible claim.
Court documents list Andy Rubin, the creator of the Android mobile operating system, as a defendant. The company discovered an accusation that Rubin forced a Google employee into performing oral sex on him was accurate. As a result, he was given a $90 million check and “a hero’s farewell.” Former senior executive Amit Singhal is also named in the lawsuit. Singhal left in 2015 when he received a multi-million-dollar payout after other misconduct allegations were found credible.
The shareholder asserts that Google’s board violated its responsibilities “by such despicable conduct” and wasted resources by “disregarding, covering up and rewarding malfeasance of its senior executives.” The lawsuit requests court orders demanding financial restitution to the company from Rubin, Singhal, and board members. It also asks for changes in Google’s procedures.
Martin’s case passes the blame onto the company’s co-founders and Eric Schmidt, a former CEO and current board member. The suit notes that these men “set the tone” for a corporate culture of misconduct by having relationships and extramarital affairs with Google employees.
In the aftermath of the news, workers united in showing their displeasure with the company. Recently, more than 20,000 employees staged a walkout at corporate offices worldwide. Too bad James Damore never garnered the same level of support after questioning Google’s hiring practices.
Alphabet and Google have not issued a public statement regarding the matter.
Taxpayers Footing the Bill
While the inner struggles of Google are inducing popcorn-level entertainment, it is important to remember that taxpayers are footing the bill for some of its excess. In fact, because Silicon Valley tech goliaths maintain intimate relationships with all three levels of government and those on Capitol Hill, your precious tax dollars are entering the pockets of Google, Amazon, Facebook, and others.
There have been constant reports about these billion-dollar corporations receiving government contracts, especially with the military and intelligence branches.
So, the next time you read a story about a pervert getting a big payday because Google or Facebook didn’t want the incident to go public, remember that you’ve been forced to contribute monetarily to the scandal.
Morally Vacuous
How come the most woke seem to be the creepiest? Better yet, why are the most ardent opponents of President Donald Trump the biggest hypocrites? The biblical passages of “cast the first stone” and “judge not lest ye be judged” enter the conversation when discussing these executives’ virtues and views.
Silicon Valley disciples are a judgmental, self-righteous, and holier-than-thou bunch. They turn their noses at middle America, they furrow their brows at conservatives, and they hate President Trump. This was on full display in a leaked 2016 video showing Google executives lamenting Trump’s victory, further straining the relations between Republicans and the technology gatekeepers.
The video, released in September, was recorded during one of the company’s weekly all-hands meetings. It includes a clip of Brin admitting that he found the election results “deeply offensive”:
“Let’s face it, most people here are pretty upset and pretty sad because of the election. Myself, as an immigrant and refugee, I certainly find this election deeply offensive and I know many of you do too.”
While any observer can deduce that this is evidence of a leftist bias impacting the company’s operations, a spokesperson for Google denied such an assertion, noting that the meeting was an event for employees to “express their own personal views in the aftermath of a long and divisive election season.” The cherry on top in the media statement was the claim that “our products are built for everyone.”
Virtue-signaling in Silicon Valley is just as bad in Tinseltown. Thespians, filmmakers, musicians, and Hollywood moguls view themselves as the nation’s conscience and moral superiors. Yet, the barrage of reports shining a negative light on the overall industry suggests these actors and singers would be better off uttering the words written for them rather than trying to formulate their own thoughts.
Schadenfreude isn’t a positive emotion. That said, when you keep finding out the innumerable transgressions in Washington, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and other regions inhabited by society’s elite, you cannot help feel some pleasure from their misfortunes. For too long, they have treated anyone who doesn’t think like them with contempt. They have finally gotten a taste of their own medicine.
