“Just when Google needed to double down on a commitment to human rights, it decided to instead chase bigger profits and an even higher stock price.” https://t.co/qZpGPT9iL7

— DHH (@dhh) January 2, 2020

I feel like this was an episode of the Office. Pretty horrific if it is real. https://t.co/2RTEU1aaDa

— Seth Weintraub (@llsethj) January 2, 2020

Must read. And he's not the only Google veteran speaking out. https://t.co/J3rNmsQgnR https://t.co/kmTII1A8Qn

— Steve Kovach (@stevekovach) January 2, 2020

Google's former head of international relations is running for office, so he's also revealing the details of the company's relationship with Chinese authorities. A good read on encroaching surveillance capitalism:

https://t.co/xbHU8F2Put

— Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) January 2, 2020

Two things make this particularly striking:

1/ this isn’t some disgruntled rank-and-file engineer upset about having a product canned

2/ the bluntness of the call for increased government regulation. The author worked in California state politics before joining Google.

— Dave Lee (@DaveLeeBBC) January 2, 2020

These stories about Google make it sound like a company run by Michael Scott https://t.co/lzXjAXLHqo pic.twitter.com/4UpNXGMJIL

— Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp) January 2, 2020

Agreed. This was a big factor behind my leaving. https://t.co/tERn9VF97d

— Rohan Thompson (@blueharv) December 31, 2019

New, from me. Based on interviews with @RossforMaine, emails & documents. Execs at Google rarely break ranks but Ross’ experience pushing for real human rights accountability shows how Google can sideline internal critics, even trusted people near the top https://t.co/jtfqoqhL6D

— Nitasha Tiku (@nitashatiku) January 2, 2020

Scathing piece from Google's former head of int'l relations, who says he was sidelined from discussions about launching censored search in China & removed from his job at the company after he advocated for human rights & raised concerns about bullying: https://t.co/10mdhHWqxU

— Ryan Gallagher (@rj_gallagher) January 2, 2020

Terrific context on @RossforMaine’s story from @nitashatiku, who reports that while @Twitter & @Facebook have hired human rights directors, @Google has not. https://t.co/nXY592j4ma pic.twitter.com/9n0gxWwYtD

— Alex Howard (@digiphile) January 2, 2020

This description of @google 's abandonment of the "Don't Be Evil" standard is fascinating on many, many levels.

The devolution on everything - from confronting Chinese censorship, to interior management practices - is just awful. https://t.co/KXJ8h32Zcy

— Michael Socolow (@MichaelSocolow) January 2, 2020

wtf to this whole paragraph.

Told by a top Google exec who left the company because Google wouldn't commit to human rights.https://t.co/SPsEjCHNtY

WaPo story here:https://t.co/1cmLfdM1Dw pic.twitter.com/mdfeE0Atvr

— hͭaͣᶰkͬaͥnͮᵉʳᵈᶤ (@hatr) January 2, 2020

I kind of think that big companies are the way they are for a reason. The incentive to become just another uncaring faceless machine is stronger than any corporate culture. https://t.co/bmrV1RYaaO

— Noah Smith ? (@Noahpinion) December 31, 2019

Google's former top diplomat now blames the company’s “disengaged” founders and earnings-driven leadership for Google’s departure from its core value, “Don’t be evil.” He's also now running as a Democrat for Susan Collins' senate seat in Maine.https://t.co/FPG8L4FIEm

— Lauren Feiner (@lauren_feiner) January 2, 2020

The former Google policy exec who's running for senator in Maine says he was forced out of the company for his internal activism on diversity. From @nitashatiku https://t.co/lKluQ4Sifv

— Gerrit De Vynck (@GerritD) January 2, 2020

Google veterans: The company has become 'unrecognizable' https://t.co/6fVW2pljtS // When people leave they articulate all sorts of reasons/comfort/explanations regardless of why they left. This is part of the normal maturation of a growth company that experienced this: pic.twitter.com/rMFRwXACey

— Steven Sinofsky (@stevesi) January 2, 2020

Google's former head of international relations wrote a huge Medium post where he concludes that the company's "Don’t be evil" motto is just a marketing tool.

I know he's running for Senate, but daaaamn. https://t.co/nRZKeH1rlA

— Sean Hollister (@StarFire2258) January 2, 2020

When Page became CEO in 2011, he became “obsessed” with reading about why companies fail from being too big, Stapleton, a 12-year veteran, said. “It’s sort of sad that a lot of the things he was afraid would happen, actually happened.” via @jenn_elias https://t.co/FFee7FQg1a

— Will Feuer (@WillFOIA) December 31, 2019

Google’s head of international relations created and internally lobbied for a program to support free expression and privacy for its users in China—leaned in, you could say—and then last year got purged. “‘Don’t be evil,’ has been relegated to a footnote.”https://t.co/VtV0zeayF1

— Kurt Andersen (@KBAndersen) January 2, 2020

Wow, Google has a metric fuckton of explaining to do. https://t.co/JzyMGXb8Iv?

— Zack Whittaker (@zackwhittaker) January 2, 2020

So it's not just Google Ads that has this bad customer service model. It's the internal approach to HR as well. https://t.co/FO3r4ido7h pic.twitter.com/i0wbrwUqYP

— Ginny Marvin (@GinnyMarvin) December 31, 2019

Transparency, accountability, ethics, values, trust. These are the makers and breakers of empires. Always have been of course but the speed and gravity of their impact - esp negative - is increasing. https://t.co/DjA6LRKpmL

— Steven Swanson (@neojipc) December 31, 2019

Lot of juicy, damning, familiar nuggets here as one of google’s top policy execs recounts being pushed out of the company for literally being too principled and, like, respectful of others at work https://t.co/kYrEQldGU0

— claire stapleton (@clairewaves) January 2, 2020

There's a lot in here to unpack — and there's a lot in here we already knew (Dragonfly/China, Saudi government apps etc.) but it's quite remarkable to see Google's former chief diplomat say the company should "no longer" be allowed to operate freely without government oversight.

— Zack Whittaker (@zackwhittaker) January 2, 2020

This is a big deal. Former Google executive goes rogue (and he's running for Senate in Maine) https://t.co/ykQlOYZIGi

— Eric Newcomer (@EricNewcomer) January 2, 2020

pic.twitter.com/56AuDdo8eL

— Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) January 2, 2020

In medium post, @RossforMaine blames disengaged leadership (Page and Brin) and hiring of CFO Porat from Wall Street for the shift away from "Don't be evil" mantra at Google. (Among other things.)https://t.co/pxNCAAp0Vz

— Steve Kovach (@stevekovach) January 2, 2020

A Google exec says he was forced out b/c he was *too* committed to human rights.

So, @RossforMaine took to Medium, writing Google "never intended to incorporate human rights principles into its business...." https://t.co/EQso8Ugs8e

More from @nitashatiku https://t.co/KsH7SYUGZ7

— Avi Asher-Schapiro (@AASchapiro) January 2, 2020

Read every word of this bombshell first person account of @google’s dramatic turn away from their “Don’t be evil” mantra.

There are simply too many stories and quotes to list, but the one below is a particularly awful one: https://t.co/qxaLawv7ST

— Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) January 2, 2020

Happy New Year, Google. This blog post could prove extremely damaging. Alleges a complete break down in principles. Sundar Pichai greatly admired, we’ll see how he tackles this. Larry and Sergey have of course already left the building. https://t.co/vYURIEoUgj

— Dave Lee (@DaveLeeBBC) January 2, 2020

"But each time I recommended a Human Rights Program, senior executives came up with an excuse to say no." https://t.co/9JBBDBnkCf

— Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) January 2, 2020

Also makes you wonder how many tech workers will someday enter politics, shaped by what they witnessed inside these companies. https://t.co/eMAaYNXB8W

— Brian Fung (@b_fung) January 2, 2020

Google veterans: The company has become ‘unrecognisable’

At the IPO in 2004 it had 1,907 full-time employees. In September 2019 it had 114,096. ??‍♂️https://t.co/mYJ3LSKzke

— Benedict Evans (@benedictevans) January 2, 2020

"You don’t need a human rights protocol, or some sort of review process for market entry. You are either in, or you are out." -- this shows lack of understanding of how tech policy works. companies ARE powerful, they can/do influence gov tech policyhttps://t.co/s2b9BCbrkS

— William Fitzgerald (@william_fitz) January 2, 2020

I Was Google’s Head of International Relations. Here’s Why I Left. https://t.co/YBiNEp1r7F

— Holger Klein (@holgi) January 2, 2020

“Don’t be evil.” I joined Google in 2008, when those words still mattered. Here’s my story, in my own words. https://t.co/zTQMFVgPYD

— Ross LaJeunesse (@RossforMaine) January 2, 2020

Wow. This is brutal. Google’s former head of international relations claims he was boxed out, and then essentially forced out, because of his demands on human rights. Now he’s running for Senate in Maine. https://t.co/yP2taXXizh

— Nicholas Thompson (@nxthompson) January 2, 2020

As ex-Googler that loved the principled & optimistic Google of 2011, the following article is a hard read: https://t.co/tdlq7wYqv4 - but I agree that the company culture changed decisively in the last years, and that the current leadership isn't good at inspiring faith or trust.

— halvarflake (@halvarflake) January 2, 2020

Thank you @RossforMaine for standing up to Google and joining the call for structural change: "the role of these companies in our daily lives...is too great to leave in the hands of executives who are accountable only to their controlling shareholders" https://t.co/K65qOlTleX

— Meredith Whittaker (@mer__edith) January 2, 2020

“Standing up for women, for the LGBTQ community, for colleagues of color, and for human rights — had cost me my career. “Don’t be evil” was no longer a true reflection of Google’s values; it was now nothing more than just another corporate marketing tool.” https://t.co/Aqq1Gsclku

— Golineh Atai (@GolinehAtai) January 2, 2020

How Google's head of international relations discovered the company had turned evil https://t.co/SMLWyixNCr
I'm heartbroken reading this. As much criticism as I give Google's products, I always thought the people there still cared & still worked in a system that could improve. pic.twitter.com/o2ZHrtIolX

— Rand Fishkin (@randfish) January 2, 2020

I Was Google’s Head of International Relations. Here’s Why I Left. (I was not. The author of this post was. Here’s why he left.) https://t.co/ebmZzuxMnb

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) January 2, 2020

Read every word of this: https://t.co/mLqX6Wol80

— Michael Barbaro (@mikiebarb) January 2, 2020

A Google exec says he was forced out b/c he was *too* committed to human rights.

So, @RossforMaine took to Medium, writing Google "never intended to incorporate human rights principles into its business...." https://t.co/EQso8Ugs8e

More from @nitashatiku https://t.co/KsH7SYUGZ7

— Avi Asher-Schapiro (@AASchapiro) January 2, 2020

"Standing up for women, for the LGBTQ community, for colleagues of color, and for human rights - had cost me my career." - @RossforMaine

Pretty wild to see how "don't be evil" might not be a good slogan for Google anymore...https://t.co/qTb3egYcE9

— Jake Williams (@MalwareJake) January 2, 2020

This description of @google 's abandonment of the "Don't Be Evil" standard is fascinating on many, many levels.

The devolution on everything - from confronting Chinese censorship, to interior management practices - is just awful. https://t.co/KXJ8h32Zcy

— Michael Socolow (@MichaelSocolow) January 2, 2020

Happy New Year, Google. This blog post could prove extremely damaging. Alleges a complete break down in principles. Sundar Pichai greatly admired, we’ll see how he tackles this. Larry and Sergey have of course already left the building. https://t.co/vYURIEoUgj

— Dave Lee (@DaveLeeBBC) January 2, 2020

Ross LaJeunesse, @Google’s former Head of International Relations on why he left: “each time I recommended a Human Rights Program, senior executives came up with an excuse to say no” https://t.co/H70AIjUJlp

— Shannon Vavra (@shanvav) January 2, 2020

Must read from exec who spent more than a decade at Google mostly as global head of international relations. “But Dragonfly was only one of several developments that concerned those of us who still believed in the mantra of ‘Don’t be evil.’ (1 of 2) https://t.co/clYLEQU9A5

— Jason Kint (@jason_kint) January 2, 2020

« The company’s motto used to be “Don’t be evil.” Things have changed. »

I Was Google’s Head of International Relations. Here’s Why I Left. https://t.co/3ePdpgX4o6

— Cassim Ketfi (@NotCassim) January 2, 2020

A top Google exec pushed the company to commit to human rights. Then Google pushed him out, he says. https://t.co/BzF3kJLlJZ

— Rich Tehrani (@rtehrani) January 2, 2020

Ya Think?https://t.co/sit6buoHbB

— Badd Company (@BaddCompani) January 2, 2020

@PJVogt and @AGoldmund on the front page of https://t.co/YQPtIMLPMI ? pic.twitter.com/95kp7ePMPs

— John Pole (@jpole1) January 2, 2020

An exceptional decade for warm/hot temperature extremes in the DC area. With continued climate warming, shudder to think what the 2020s will bring.

Here's our recap of the last decade's weather in Washington: https://t.co/kvWaoCK2fI pic.twitter.com/xLDzK6dHRq

— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) December 31, 2019

Jul. 29, 2015 · Voter data gathered by Koch- backed groups such as Americans for Prosperity will be shared with a RNC-aligned firm under a new deal. https://t.co/VnczVOOcdu

— seeshell (@Tentoads4truth) February 20, 2018

I Was Google’s Head of International Relations. Here’s Why I Left. https://t.co/5tTbQocyM3

— Sheera Frenkel (@sheeraf) January 2, 2020

This essay by Google’s former head of international relations is going to make big headlines in the tech world todayhttps://t.co/FBeVGitwEx

— Maria Tadeo (@mariatad) January 2, 2020

“this person raises concerns. we must find something wrong with them.”

retaliation is standard google operating procedure at this point.

(via: https://t.co/4gSCPwF1il) pic.twitter.com/xgtVr8KkpK

— EricaJoy (@EricaJoy) January 2, 2020

Former Google human rights chief says he was “sidelined” over censored Chinese search engine https://t.co/Vky6Pzcawg

— Dieter Bohn (@backlon) January 2, 2020

Former Google human rights chief says he was "sidelined" over censored Chinese search engine https://t.co/H1qWymfJUe pic.twitter.com/QPBFhwjeK5

— The Verge (@verge) January 2, 2020

나는 Google의 국제 관계 책임자였습니다. 이것이 내가 떠난 이유입니다. https://t.co/v7TxOIZQY8

• 그는 새로운 역할을 수행하는 대신 떠났습니다. "악하지 말아라"라는 슬로건은 이제 기업 마케팅 도구에 지나지 않는다고 환멸을 전했습니다.

— lunamoth (@lunamoth) January 3, 2020

나는 Google의 국제 관계 책임자였습니다. 이것이 내가 떠난 이유입니다. https://t.co/APpLokeZcK
• 그는 새로운 역할을 수행하는 대신 떠났습니다. "악하지 말아라"라는 슬로건은 이제 기업 마케팅 도구에 지나지 않는다고 환멸을 전했습니다.

— editoy (@editoy) January 3, 2020

Google has little choice to be evil or not in today’s fractured internet https://t.co/SIoHXHA9X7 via @TechCrunch

— Carla Gentry (@data_nerd) January 3, 2020

ho-ly-shithttps://t.co/Jk5xBKPVLi

— Daniel Bader (@journeydan) January 2, 2020

Ross worked as head of international relations for @google and was with the company for 12 years, now calls for government regulation to avoid human rights being side-lined for business profits >> Here’s Why I Left @rossformaine ↘️ https://t.co/qGYUTAKG7t

— Marietje Schaake (@MarietjeSchaake) January 2, 2020

“I Was Google’s Head of International Relations. Here’s Why I Left.”

Important read#Likewar https://t.co/f6mzGgjTCV

— Peter W. Singer (@peterwsinger) January 2, 2020

Reading: “I Was Google’s Head of International Relations. Here’s Why I Left.” https://t.co/d7zzkIXp5a

— Pedro Dias: ~/pedro$ (@pedrodias) January 3, 2020

Essential reading from a Google exec who just left the company, reflecting on their (former) motto: “Don’t be evil.” (Spoiler: It no longer holds up.)https://t.co/MtZYQFn7Bk

— Phillip Picardi (@pfpicardi) January 3, 2020

Compelling account of Google’s shifting culture over time. There are two sides to every story of course... but this one’s alarming. (Via @Lars)https://t.co/uU6AwEkLKh

— Leela Srinivasan (@leelasrin) January 3, 2020

Tip 1: Take what people in positions of responsibility at big, fat companies who have sizable tenures say with pinch of salt.
Tip 2: Add some spicy Indian masalas if said exec is moving on to politics.https://t.co/6iEnLyogcn

— Subrahmanyam KVJ (@SuB8u) January 2, 2020

Anybody want to use the CHRB Methodology on Google and write a follow up?? https://t.co/1Ou0GhWwMA

— Dan Neale (@TheDanNeale) January 3, 2020

For a company whose motto is 'don't be evil', Google is really good at being evil https://t.co/hfp1wrmQEK

— Jess Devonport (@jess_devonport) January 3, 2020

Would you please give us permission to translate in French and publish (with due credits) on https://t.co/ohzNw0i4KK your Medium post https://t.co/BYKxhj1bxQ we are a non-profit advocating free and libre software and culture

— Framasoft (@framasoft) January 3, 2020

Dems pretty much down to a few rich, white people over age of 70 to be @POTUS so there's your party of "diversity" and "inclusion." No color, no class, no clue.https://t.co/QOmlaqebYh

— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) January 3, 2020

Former Google human rights chief says he was "sidelined" over censored Chinese search engine https://t.co/2OBXnUOFch pic.twitter.com/etDwvqQHWy

— The Verge (@verge) January 3, 2020

Typical Bay Area Tech: We believe in human rights right up to the moment it could cause the numbers to dip.https://t.co/ZFdN4Qr8er

— Derek Powazek ? (@fraying) January 2, 2020