Title: Former Google Employee Alleges Racial Discrimination in Promotion Denial
Shaun Maguire, a former employee of Google who now works with Sequoia Capital, has publicly accused Google of racial discrimination, stating that he was denied a promotion because he is a white man.
Maguire took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his frustration, alleging that during his time at Google, he was explicitly told that he couldn’t be promoted due to his race. In a series of tweets, he recounted a conversation with his supervisor, who purportedly informed him that despite being one of the highest-performing individuals, he couldn’t receive a promotion because of a quota system in place.
According to Maguire, his supervisor said, “you’re one of the highest performing people here but I can’t promote you right now because I have a quota.” Maguire expressed his disappointment with Google’s practices, labeling the company as “an absolute trash can dumpster fire.”
Google, however, has refuted Maguire’s claims. A representative from Google stated that decisions regarding Maguire’s promotion were not influenced by his race or gender, and the founders and board were not involved in personnel matters related to Google Ventures.
In response to Google’s denial, Maguire expressed dissatisfaction, stating that nobody from the company had reached out to him for his side of the story. He emphasized that his intention was not to seek compensation but to address the systemic issues within the company, particularly in the realm of AI leadership.
Maguire’s allegations come at a time when Google is already under scrutiny for its AI model named Gemini. The text-to-image generation feature of Gemini has faced criticism for inaccuracies and biases in historical image depictions.
Google acknowledged the concerns regarding Gemini’s inaccuracies and stated that they are working to address the issues.
The accusations made by Maguire shed light on ongoing discussions surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion within tech companies, emphasizing the importance of transparent and equitable promotion practices.
