Google Settlement Addresses Claims Of Racial Disparities In The Workplace
Google has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit brought by Black employees who accused the tech company of systemic disparities in hiring, pay and career advancement.
The lawsuit was first filed in 2022 by April Curley, a former Google employee who accused the company of engaging in a “pattern and practice” of unfair treatment toward Black workers. Curley alleged that Google steered Black employees into lower level and lower paid positions while limiting their chances for advancement.
Other former Google employees later joined the lawsuit, which received class action status. The case also alleged that Black workers faced a hostile work environment when they spoke out about discrimination inside the company.
Civil Rights Attorney Says Settlement Is About Accountability
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented the plaintiffs, said the settlement represents a major step for Black employees in the tech industry.
“This case is about accountability, plain and simple,” Crump said in a statement. “For far too long, Black employees in the tech industry have faced barriers that limit opportunity. This settlement is a significant step toward holding one of the world’s most powerful companies accountable and making clear that discriminatory practices cannot and will not be tolerated.”
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Lawsuit Followed Years Of Complaints From Black Google Employees
The lawsuit reflected years of complaints from Black employees at Google, including concerns over hiring practices, workplace culture and retaliation.
One of the most public cases involved Timnit Gebru, a prominent artificial intelligence scholar who said she was pushed out of the company in 2020 following a dispute over a research paper examining the societal risks tied to an emerging branch of artificial intelligence.
In the 2022 lawsuit, plaintiffs accused the Mountain View, California based company of viewing Black job candidates “through harmful racial stereotypes.”
The suit also claimed hiring managers described some Black candidates as not being “Googly” enough, language the lawsuit characterized as “a plain dog whistle for race discrimination.”
Employees Claimed Black Candidates Were Hired Into Lower Level Roles
According to the lawsuit, Black candidates were allegedly undermined during the interview process and placed into lower paying, lower level jobs with fewer opportunities for promotion.
The complaint claimed some interviewers “hazed” Black candidates and that racial stereotypes influenced hiring and placement decisions. Plaintiffs argued those practices contributed to long term disparities in pay, job level and professional growth.
The settlement does not amount to an admission of wrongdoing by Google. Along with the $50 million payment, the agreement includes a commitment to pay equity reviews, pay transparency measures and limits on mandatory arbitration for employment related disputes through at least August 2026, according to Crump.
