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“A Google spokesperson told Business Insider: "We don't agree with the way April describes her termination, but it's not appropriate for us to provide a commentary about her claims." @sundarpichai do better. My god they have no shame. https://t.co/WJdFdP94mw
— Timnit Gebru (@timnitGebru) December 24, 2020
On balance anything you say as a company should be vetted by legal, policy + coms teams. A “sensitive topics” review is prudent they deserve the extra scrutiny and rigor.
— Mark Ghuneim (@MarkGhuneim) December 23, 2020
(in this case "sensitive" may be better stated as dangerous -ed)https://t.co/n0uR6LvOuf pic.twitter.com/HruZBfr8yf
I'm finna tell yall why @Google fired me- their MOST successful diversity recruiter in the history of their company- with the receipts to support that statement.
— Real Abril? (@RealAbril) December 21, 2020
#HBCU20x20 has cancelled its partnership with @Google
— Nicole Tinson (@Nikki_T) December 22, 2020
We refuse to partner with a company who continues to oust/disrespect Black people.
Black people deserve better, and it’s clear @Google has not find the need to do better.
We do not encourage working or interning at Google. https://t.co/oZe4hFOTaM
.@Google this year tightened control over its scientists’ papers by launching a “sensitive topics” review, and in 3 cases told authors to refrain from casting its tech in a negative light, docs & interviews show. Story w/ @peard33 https://t.co/98PbK0UZnR
— Jeffrey Dastin (@JLDastin) December 23, 2020
This summer, a senior Google manager told authors of a draft paper on content recommendation tech to “take great care to strike a positive tone,” internal correspondence shows. The authors then “updated to remove all references to Google products.”
— Jeffrey Dastin (@JLDastin) December 23, 2020
"Striking a positive tone" in AI research strikes me as a misguided attempt to regain consumer and regulator trust. Simple honesty, with sober accounting of costs and benefits, strikes me as a better approach.https://t.co/WvhhArMOOc
— Beau Sievers (@beausievers) December 23, 2020
Among the subjects Google considers "sensitive topics" for publication by its AI researchers is "Israel." Papers by AI experts require further censorship/legal review before being submitted for publication. WTF? https://t.co/YVBGm2ebTj pic.twitter.com/83Kr9zjtmO
— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) December 24, 2020
This is an important thread because the other side is how many “launched initiatives” programs etc are white as hell championed by white folks who don’t think this or it’s manifestations in code or NO or strategy is a problem https://t.co/kZX6X7elFa
— ???Sydette the DreadGorgon?? ? (@Blackamazon) December 22, 2020
i mean idk how many more receipts about overt racism at google y’all need at this point, but here’s more. https://t.co/HPT9mjU6Ac
— EricaJoy (@EricaJoy) December 21, 2020
Black women only make up .7 percent of Google's technical workforce. April's job in the company was specifically to recruit Black and brown tech talent. She says she had increased the number of recruits from HBCUs by 300 percent at Google before she was fired https://t.co/1oQTwZH2Zb
— april glaser (@aprilaser) December 23, 2020
Please read that shit again. It’s as egregious as it sounds. At the time of my departure, I had single handedly increased Google’s black engineering hiring from HBCUs by over 300%. Meaning- I brought in over 300 Black and Brown students from HBCUs who were hired into eng roles
— Real Abril? (@RealAbril) December 21, 2020
On September 11, 2020, I was terminated from Google. Even having to type those words still feels fucking awful. I'm admittedly still processing and working through all of the emotions that surround being fired from my whole ass job.
— Real Abril? (@RealAbril) December 21, 2020
Because of my adamant advocacy of black and brown students to be fairly and justly considered for roles at Google, I experienced active abuse and retaliation from several managers who harassed me- and many other black women.
— Real Abril? (@RealAbril) December 21, 2020
When I was asking what are they doing to other Black women. This thread. Just a couple of months apart. Horrible. https://t.co/0OSWapaZQW
— Timnit Gebru (@timnitGebru) December 22, 2020
This is the smoking gun right here. Subjecting scientific research to political review means you aren't doing scientific research. Google's executives decided to fire their AI ethics people the moment they dreamed up "sensitive topics review." https://t.co/QJSdNBtFyM
— Russell Neches (@ryneches) December 23, 2020
Reading about what happened to @timnitGebru at Google is both triggering and yet super encouraging. While I don’t want to capitalize off of her moment, I do want to share my experience as a black queer woman at Google.
— Real Abril? (@RealAbril) December 21, 2020
In 2014, I was hired at Google to fundamentally shift the relationship (or lack thereof) that Google had with Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Before my role existed, Google had NEVER, and I mean fucking NEVER hired an HBCU student into a tech role-
— Real Abril? (@RealAbril) December 21, 2020
Google fired a second Black woman widely celebrated for success in her field @RealAbril –– after Google did not respond to demands from Black employees from within the company for better treatment and representation. My latest w/@CiCiAdams_ https://t.co/D31CMRMGUK
— april glaser (@aprilaser) December 23, 2020
Ultimately my last manager, his manager and HR decided that the best way to shut me up was to fire me. My last manager had his ego bruised FROM JUMP when I refused to discuss my sexuality with him (once asking me which of my teammates I would sleep with-TF)
— Real Abril? (@RealAbril) December 21, 2020
My skip-level manager, a white woman, told me VERBATIM that the way I speak (oftentimes with a heavy Baltimore accent) was a disability that I should disclose when meeting with folks internally.
— Real Abril? (@RealAbril) December 21, 2020
Why are there so few Black women in tech? When April Curley worked at Google, she was “harassed by managers, including being told that her Baltimore accent was a disability that she needed to disclose to colleagues.” https://t.co/qaiFNMjIJF
— Haben Girma (@HabenGirma) December 24, 2020
When are @Google scientists to flag research for “sensitive topics” reviews? If looking at Google services for bias, face/sentiment analysis, race or gender categorization, the oil industry, COVID-19, China, location data, religion, driverless cars, telecoms, home security & more
— Jeffrey Dastin (@JLDastin) December 23, 2020
The news came to light after @timnitGebru says Google fired her; she had questioned an order not to publish research saying AI that mimics speech could disadvantage marginalized communities.
— Jeffrey Dastin (@JLDastin) December 23, 2020
I worked with @RealAbril and I cannot even express how hard she worked for her Black and Brown students. And you can look at the numbers, she was successful as hell at it.
— jessie.js (@jessiedotjs) December 23, 2020
So they did to her what they love to do to Black employees, treated her like garbage and then fired her. https://t.co/3xeNdMFNYM
This sadly isn’t surprising at all. I worked at Google as a contractor fir 2 years and dealt with my fair share of this too. https://t.co/PuynN9NIau
— Sailor D.J. Says (@OhHeyDJ) December 22, 2020
Another Black woman was ousted from Google for demanding genuine D&I efforts. What happened to @timnitGebru & @RealAbril exposes a larger issue.
— CiCi Adams? (@CiCiAdams_) December 23, 2020
My latest w/ @aprilaser highlights the institutionalized sexism/racism & the culture of fear rife at Google.https://t.co/Ad5rnFAKGW
again, today is a great day to read Google’s Annual Diversity Report https://t.co/AgtvifgILq https://t.co/pXlcHZFUnI
— Pimp C (@gocortney_) December 23, 2020