The Truth about the Google Memo

James Damore’s memo is far from what the mainstream media has made it out to be. That said, alternative media sources are not necessarily right about it either.

When Google software engineer James Damore circulated an internal memo criticizing Google’s pro-gender diversity hiring practices in July, he probably expected to start a conversation with fellow Googlers on the value of affirmative action. Unfortunately for Damore, however, the memo was leaked to the public on Saturday, August 5th, and by the end of the weekend, he did not have a job to return to. While Damore’s memo stands on shaky scientific ground and misses several key points about gender diversity, it is illustrative of a major misconception concerning affirmative action and warrants further examination and an objective response.

First of all, it should be noted that Damore’s memo is not, as it has been described by some, an angry, emotional rant or tirade. It is a calm, almost academic paper demonstrative of its author’s intellect and scientific background (Damore holds a master’s degree in biology from Harvard). In it, Damore enumerates psychological facts (though he exaggerates certain points by failing to highlight statistical subtleties) and builds seemingly rational arguments with the scientific coldness of a nineteenth-century phrenologist. Damore even manages to make a few good points, including his suggestion that society should work towards weakening the male gender role and “allow men to be more ‘feminine,’” though he doesn’t always make them for the best reasons.

At the same time, Damore’s firing has been portrayed in some right-leaning media outlets as an authoritarian and even illegal move by a corporation committed to crushing conservative viewpoints indiscriminately. This is equally unfair. Google, as a for-profit corporation, has a right to terminate employees who hold views which obstruct its pursuit of growth and financial success. If Google’s leaders determine that affirmative action in hiring will help them groom Google into a more successful company, then they have a right to dismiss employees who they perceive as working against that agenda.