James Damore — the former senior engineer for Google who was fired after writing and sharing a 10-page memo criticizing workplace policies — recently said he can’t get a job elsewhere because of the tech giant’s enormous influence in the industry.
“The problem is that Google is just so big and they acquire so many different companies,” Damore, who expressed skepticism of Google’s internal diversity initiatives in his memo, said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Caller News Foundation. “Say I join a startup, they don’t want to get on the wrong side of Google and never be considered for acquisition by Google. And all of these [companies], like Facebook, they also don’t want to go on the wrong side of them.”
Damore was asked if Google is “essentially the Godfather of Silicon Valley, or ‘The Don.'”
“Yeah, I would say that. Sure,” Damore responded with a chuckle and a smile.
Damore, who is suing the company for wrongful termination and discrimination, also said that there were many Google employees who were using their workplace authority and capabilities for ideological means. (RELATED: Disabled Transgender Sues Google For Discrimination, Adding To Litany Of Company Lawsuits)
“I definitely saw some activity where people were very adamant and saying, ‘Oh yes, everyone is a white supremacist,’ and ‘we need to resist Trump,’ and ‘use Google’s power to do that,'” said Damore.
“So you’re saying within Google, there were employees saying ‘we have to use the powers and services that Google offers to squash Donald Trump support and promotions relating to him?” TheDCNF interviewer asked in a follow-up. (RELATED: Google-Funded Think Tank Fires Analyst For Criticizing Google, Says Report)
“Yeah,” Damore responded, “there definitely were some people who had an axe to grind.”
Send tips to eric@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
Freedom of Speech Isn’t Free
The Daily Caller News Foundation is working hard to balance out the biased American media. For as little as $3, you can help us. Make a one-time donation to support the quality, independent journalism of TheDCNF. We’re not dependent on commercial or political support and we do not accept any government funding.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.